Unpretty
by The Thorned Rose
Summary: Lord Ganondorf in attempt to seek Princess Zelda's hand in marriage, offers her a gift. The blonde hair and blue eyed gift slowly learns new things about the princess and slowly falls madly in love with her. How can a pauper fall in love with a princess, especially if she can't love herself.
1. The Gift

Unpretty

Disclaimer: I do not own the legend of Zelda or any of its characters.

A/N This story was inspired by the song Unpretty but it is not a song fic.

Slowly I made my way towards the throne room where I would be meeting with foreign dignitaries. Impa, my guardian, was right behind me and was instructing me of my duties for the day, "Zelda, you will be meeting with Lord Ganondorf today. He is not known for his hospitality but please try to be courteous towards him. He has come to propose a treaty." I rolled my eyes at Impa's request and just continued on towards the throne room. The guards bowed to me and held the door open until Impa and I walked through. I slumped in my throne to await the Lords arrival. A maid brought me a silver goblet with water in it. I looked down into the water and was disgusted at the image that reflected in it. A knock at the door pulled me out of my thoughts and I straightened my posture.

The door swung open and a very large man with ghastly red hair walked through the door. He was about twice my age, with tan skin, and a black armor. He walked towards my throne and bowed. She nodded in acknowledgement and he began to speak. "Princess Zelda, I am pleased to see you today. You are looking well as always." He smiled a menacing smile that sent shivers down my spine. "How can I help you Lord Ganondorf?" I asked, I never was much of a talker. He merely smirked in response and replied "I have come to offer an you alliance with my country, if I may have you hand in marriage." I dropped my cup in shock. The water spilled everywhere. I looked up to him to see if he was joking. He was obviously serious. As pleasantly as I possibly could muster I replied, "Thank you sire, but I am simply not interested." I was about to stand an leave when he yelled "WAIT!" I looked up at him questioningly, what else could he possibly want. He started to speak again in a slightly more agitated tone. "Your highness, You will never be able to take full power as a queen unless you settle down with a man. You are very limited in what you can do as a princess. Why not consider my offer?" I bit my lip, trying to hide my annoyance and said "A man at my side will only limit my power further. I will not be usurped from my throne." "Aye," he replied, "But don't you want an heir?" I felt a piece of me die on the inside. I could feel tears starting to form in my eyes, but I refused to release them. I stared him in the eyes and said "I cannot bear sir, so you are wasting your time." I was about to storm out the door when he caught my arm rather harshly and pulled me close enough to whisper in my ear, "I can fix that with my magic, if you agree to marry me." I shook my head no, he was a cruel ruler. I would never subject my people to his madness. The tears finally released themself as I whispered "never."

Furiously he smacked me across the face. I felt my knees go weak. He then threw me against my throne and said "I have brought you a gift to show you how serious I am about my proposal." The next thing I knew he was yelling at the guard "Bring the rat in!" Two men carried in a very injured young man. I gasped at all the bruises and cuts that covered his body. His blonde hair covered his face from sight. The boy kneeled before me respectfully, despite his many injuries. I looked up at Ganondorf and I could feel my face heat up with rage, "WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS,"I bellowed.

Ganondorf laughed at my reaction. "My love," he replied, "This is your new slave. His name is Link….I think. He has been trained by me personally to be the perfect slave." He then grabbed the boy by his neck and flung him across the room. The man just stood up, dusted himself off, and returned to his earlier bowing position. I looked at Lord Ganondorf astonished and wondered how he could live with himself after the cruelty he placed upon his own people.

I then walked over to the bowing man and said "Sir Link, you may stand." He nodded and stood up straight. That was when I saw his face. Underneath his Matted gold hair was two sad but very beautiful eyes. I smiled weakly towards him and reached into the pocket of my dress. I pulled out a small pocket knife. He flinched but stayed completely still afterwards. He looked like he was holding his breath. I could have sworn I saw fear flash before his eyes before his face turned to a blank expression. He feared me. I was a whole head shorter and he feared me. I looked him in the eyes promisingly and whispered, "I am only cutting your binds….I have no reason to harm you." He said nothing but stayed still. I cut his binds and threw the cut rope on the floor. I turned to Ganondorf and said, "I know not what you have done to this man but I can assure you that it will not happen to my people. I will never marry you, so I suggest you leave before I have you arrested."

He chuckled and said, "diplomatic immunity." He then turned around and walked out the door. Since he was royal, there was nothing I could do, he could stay in the castle as long as he liked. I cursed under my breath for not having my full powers as queen. With nothing else I could do, I sighed and turned back to the man who Ganondorf had brought. I smiled as sweetly as I could considering what just happened and said to…..What was his name….oh that's right Link…"Sir Link, please follow me and we will get you cleaned up. He said nothing but followed. I started to wonder if he could talk. When we reached my room I had him sit on the bed while I grabbed a red wine bottle off the table and a towel. He held his arm out to me, which was scarred from his binds and other various cuts. I poured the alcohol on his cuts and he winced. I knew it burned, but that was the best disinfectant I had on hand. After covering both arms, I took the towel with wine and pressed it to the cuts and scabs on his face. He had a very handsome face I thought as I looked at his chiseled chin, strong nose, and piercing blue eyes. His eyes still seemed sad, but less fearful. I finished up the cuts on his face and smiled at him. I asked, "Would you like to see your quarters? Seeing your condition, I think it would be best if you rested some." He nodded. His silence was beginning to annoy me, but I couldn't say anything about it. I didn't know what this man had gone through so I wasn't going to pressure him. I walked past a few rooms down the hall and came to the door. I was about to open the door, when he cleared his throat. I turned to him praying that he would speak but he simply shook his head and opened the door for me. I was shocked but I said, "thank you" and entered the door.

Links Pov

I opened the door for her and she looked at me like I grew a third arm. She stepped in and I looked around. It was simple (which I really liked) but it was nice. It was a moderate sized room with a bed and a dresser. The bed had forest green sheets, my favorite color. Across from the bed was a standing mirror. I looked at my new owner and saw her flinch at the sight of the mirror. I wanted to question her about it but I knew it would probably not be the best thing to do. So I kept quiet. She then walked across the room to another door. Once again I made sure to open it. It really wasn't something she required, but it is best I stay on her good side. I looked in and saw it was a nice bathroom. I once again she jumped slightly at the sight of a mirror. Curiosity got the best of me, I was about to ask her what was wrong but she spoke up first. "I must be going, but I do hope you rest well.


	2. Meeting Impa

Link's POV

The next day, I woke up before the crack of dawn. I cleaned myself up thoroughly in the bathroom and tried to comb through my hair. Seeing that my hair was not going to cooperate (as usual), I got dressed and walked to the princess's room. I knocked on the door, but there is no answer. I knocked again, no answer. I was about to open the door to wake her when a woman's voice next to me, "Good Morning Sir. I am Impa, the princess's guardian spirit. May I help you?" I turned to face the woman. She looked solid, but was floating in thin air. "Are you a ghost?" I asked. She shrugged and said, "In a way, I am dead. But, I promised the goddesses to be Zelda's Guardian for as long as she lives. Which is kind of pointless since I cannot touch her physically nor anyone else. So when Zelda passes, I too shall pass. By the way, why do you not speak to the Princess?" I grimaced and said, "I generally do not speak to those who enslave me." She smiled at me and replied, "You do not know the Princess. She took you in for your own good. You would have died if you would have stayed with Lord Ganondorf. To be honest with you I doubt you will have much to do at all. She despises having people wait on her. Please speak with her, she could use a friend." I raised an eyebrow to that and said, "We shall see. Can you bring me to Princess Zelda?" She nodded and floated down the hall.

She floated through a door which I now opened. When I walked in, I was astounded to find a huge library. I looked around and caught another glimpse at Impa. I followed her and she pointed to a book and said "pull it." I did and much to my surprise the book case opened up to a hidden room. In the front of the room was a fireplace. The fire was slowly dying; and across from that sat a fancy red couch. To my right, sat a desk with piles and piles of paper work, and the princess was fast asleep with a quill in her hand. I looked up at Impa and asked, "Now what? Do I wake her?" She smiled and passed through the book cases to another part of the castle.

Still puzzled I looked down to her sleeping form. She was a gorgeous woman with golden blonde hair, a slender figure, and an angelic looking face. Slowly her eyes fluttered open and she said "Good Morning Sir Link. How did you find me?" I smiled at how innocent she looked and said "Impa lead me here." She looked surprised and said "Oh, you can speak." I nodded and asked, "What is it that you require of me?" Her brows furrowed in thought and she replied "I have some meetings today, so I really don't require anything of you today. Feel free to walk around the castle and explore. I thank you for waking me, but I must go get dressed for today's meeting." With that, she got up and left, leaving me stunned. 'Impa was right', I thought to myself. I stepped out the hidden room and pushed the book back in to place. With that the bookcase closed and I went exploring.


	3. Sparing

Zelda's POV

I sat in front of my vanity brushing my hair. I hated looking at my reflection. Nothing seemed to improve my awful appearance. My mother and father told me when I was younger I was ugly and useless. I saw what they meant. My body was skeletal in size and my skin was pale as a ghost. I hated my body. I am used to people constantly pointing and whispering about me. I put my brush down, and gave up on my witch like hair. I then travelled downstairs to the meeting.

Link's POV

I looked around the castle, they had what looked to be a training room for the troops. I was definitely going to take advantage of this. There were weapons on the wall free for anyone to use. I grabbed a sword from the wall and started sparing with a sparing dummy. I practiced for a while until I heard someone clapping. I turned around to see Lord Ganondorf. I immediately dropped my sword an kneeled before him. "Very good, but could you stand up to me in a fight," He asked. I stayed silent, not wanting to anger him. He then pointed to the sword and said "Pick it up." I complied. He pulled out his sword and said "Let's go." I smiled; when he captured me all those years ago I was defenseless. I only could rely on hand to hand combat, which is pretty useless when someone is pointing an arrow towards your head. I finally could stand up for myself.

He charged towards me which I stepped to the side and dodged easily. As I stepped to the side and swung out my foot to trip him. It worked. He stumbled and his sword slid across the room. He scrambled to his feet to get it and I ran towards him. Our swords clashed. He held his sword pushing hard trying to overpower mine. He was strong too. I had to think quickly. I kicked him in the stomach and he fell right in front of me. I held my sword to his throat and was about to get my revenge when Impa interrupted. "Link, if you kill him now in a sparing competition you will be caught and executed. " I cursed and put the sword back on the wall and left. Even though, I couldn't kill him, I proved I could hold my own.

I continued to walk down the hall, when I bumped into something. Whatever it was I knocked it over. I looked down and saw the Princess. I blushed and said "I am terribly sorry your majesty." I extended my hand down to her to help her up and she said "No worries, I was actually looking for you. I was wondering if you would like to come with me into town today. I would like to get the tailors to make you some extra clothes." I was surprised thinking, why would she want to help me? I really didn't care for a reason so I replied "Sure." She lead me to the stables where a red mare was already saddled for us. I got in the saddle and helped her up. Then we were off.


	4. The body guard

Link's POV

She sat behind me in the saddle and pointed me in the direction of the town. The roads were covered in white from the snow. When we got to the tailors, I got down and assisted the princess in getting off the horse. An elderly couple came out to greet us. "You're Majesty, what an unexpected surprise. What can we do for you?" She smiled and said "Sir Link here needs some new clothes. Whatever you make for him, I will pay for it." I looked at her and asked "Could you please not call me sir…it makes me feel uncomfortable?" She smirked and said, "Only if you stop calling me Princess." My eyebrow raised and I asked "How and I to address you?" "Zelda, simply Zelda. Now go get measured for your clothing." She said as she stepped into the shop.

Zelda's POV

I stepped into the shop and I was instantly terrified. I had been there before but with Link close by, I forgot an important detail. There were mirrors everywhere. I started to back out of the door but I crashed into Link. I instantly made up an excuse to leave the shop and hopped on the red mare. I raced down the street blindly, not caring where I was heading. I could hear my mother and father's voices screaming "Ugly Duckling! Skinny Bitch! Harlot! Foolish Child! Disgusting!" The names ran through my head like a lion running for it's prey.

Link's POV

I blinked a few times, trying to process what happened. That was when I saw the mirrors. I turned to the tailors and asked, "Do you know why she ran out of the shop?" The Elderly woman shrugged and said, "She has always done that. It seems to be when there is a mirror in the room she becomes uncomfortable. However, I don't know why that would scare her. She is just such a natural beauty." I nodded and thought about going out to find her but the tailors started doing my measurements.

Zelda's Pov

When I finally managed to control myself I found myself in a large field. I got off of the horse and lay in the grass with my eyes shut. I breathed the fresh air in deeply, and it seemed to calm my troubled soul. I stayed there a few minutes before I bothered go back to the shop.

Link's POV

A few minutes later, Zelda returned, but waited on a bench outside the shop. We were done with my measurements so I met her outside and told the shop keeper "thank you." Zelda Looked up at me when she heard me coming. I sat next to her on the bench and said, "The tailors will deliver the clothing in a few days. Is something bothering you Zelda, you looked like you saw a Stalfo or something." I barely heard her mumble "I did," before she got up and said "let's go back." I wanted to know more, but I wanted to stay on the princess's good side so I surrendered. I got on the mare I decided to name Epona and extended my hand to her. Before she could accept, the elderly man came running out with a white box. She turned around to face him and he said, "Your counsel ordered this a week ago for suitor's day." She slapped herself in the head in pure misery "I completely forgot. Goddess, why can't they just leave me alone." Before I could stop myself I said, "They are drawn in by your beauty." She glared at me but didn't say anything. "Thank you, I am sure it will do fine." She said before she hopped on with me. We said our goodbyes and headed towards the castle. The ride back to the castle was uncomfortably quiet. So I decided to start up a conversation, "So… What's Suitor's Day?" I asked. She sighed and said "It is sort of like Royal Speed Dating. It is a day when single royals are invited to the castle to try to find me a lousy husband. I am getting a headache just thinking about it." She rested her head on my back. I felt compelled to say "You know, not all men are scum. There are some good and honest ones." She shook her head and said, "With royalty it is different. With Royalty men are looking for one of three things money, power, or a trophy wife to show off. Honesty is a hollow word in courting." We arrived back to the castle and I helped Zelda off the horse. She headed inside while I tended to Epona. When I took off Epona's saddlebags, I noticed Zelda forgot her gown the tailors made her. I went into the castle to search for her.

Zelda's POV

I suited up in my armor and grabbed a sword off the wall. I then proceeded to attack the dummy in front of me. I was mad. I just wanted to be left alone by these whoremongers to rule my kingdom. I slashed the dummy's head off. I heard footsteps behind me, so I flipped backwards and held my sword to the man's neck. It took a minute to register it was just Link. I sheathed my sword and asked "Link, what are you doing here?" He stood there for a second and burst out in laughter. I raised my eyebrow in annoyance but said nothing. He finally replied, "Fierce warrior, you forgot your dress." With this I couldn't help but laugh. He got me. Once we finally stopped laughing Link asked "Well I know heads are rolling (pointing to the now decapitated dummy) but would you like to spar. You are excellent with the sword if I do say so myself." She smiled widely like a child on Christmas morning and said "Really, oh I would love that." With that said we both got into a fighting stance. I let her move first to give her the upper hand and like that we were in a fierce battle. She was incredible. I couldn't believe her speed. I was in defense for a good 5 minutes before I saw an opening. With that I took the non-sharp part of my sword and whacked her in the butt. When she realized what happened she started to laugh and managed to knock the sword out of my hand. She held her sword before me thinking that she had won but I kicked her sword out of her hand and across the room. With that she got into a hand to hand combat stance. I couldn't believe this petite woman was such an excellent fighter. Somehow she managed to pin me to the ground. She was looking down at me breathing hard. We were both laughing when we heard someone clearing their throat. We looked towards a very amused Impa and then noticed the position we were in. Zelda's Face turned fire red and I felt my face mimicking hers. Zelda got off of me and helped me up. Impa smiled and said, "You two make quite the fighting team. You should practice together more often." With that she floated out of the room. I turned to Zelda, still slightly winded and asked, "Where did you learn to fight like that?" "Impa taught me while she was still alive. What about you" she replied. I smiled and said "Before Ganondorf captured me, my uncle was a retired General of the royal guard. He taught me everything except hand to hand combat. I learned that the hard way while being a prisoner." She looked sadly at me and said, "I am really sorry you had to endure that." I shook my head and said, "It is over with now. Besides, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Right." She nodded in agreement. I thought for a second and said, "You know I could teach you how to handle your sword better if you could teach me what you learned in hand to hand combat." She smiled brightly and said, "Deal." We removed our armor and Zelda was headed to the Library to do more paperwork. I decided to follow her since I really had nothing better to do. I looked through the books about fighting and grabbed one that looked interesting. Zelda stayed there for hours signing papers and reading over contracts. I really felt bad for her. I surprised her with a cup of hot coco. She smiled and decided to take a break so she came and sat with me on the couch. She smiled tiredly as she sipped the hot coco and said, "You know Link, you don't have to stay up with me if you are tired. I don't mind if you headed off to bed." I shook my head no and said "I rather stay with you, besides I enjoy your company even if you are hidden most of the time by piles of papers." She chuckled and said grudgingly, "It is always like that." Things were quiet for a few moments as she sat with me. She looked deep in thought for a minute and bit her lip looking unsure of herself. "Something on your mind," I asked. She said, "Yes. Link, how would you feel about instead of being a slave, being my personal body guard? You would be paid well for it. Goddess knows you are much better than any one of the castle guards." One of the guards outside the library door yelled "HEY!" We both started to laugh. I couldn't help but ask, "Why would you want someone who was captured by Ganondorf to be your guard? I am not saying no, I would love to but it just seems odd that you would pick me." She shook her head and said "Ganondorf has inhuman strength. I am not sure where he gets it but he is more of a monster than a man. Your skills with the sword are astounding and there is no one I would feel safer with." I smiled back and replied "It would be an honor to serve." She blushed and must have been cold because she sat closer to me. Sure enough, we both fell asleep on the couch that night.


	5. The suitors

Zelda's Pov

A hysterical council member, named Harold, ran in to the room screaming, "They're here princess, They are ohhh…." I looked at him puzzled then realized, I kind of fell asleep on Link last night. I blushed and asked, "Whose here Harold?" as I sat up off of Link who was a bit looking flustered. Harold managed to gain his composure and said "Your guest, the suitors." I leaned my head in my hands with irritation and said, "I will go get dressed. Link, sorry about falling asleep on you last night." With that Harold gave Link a disapproving look and he walked out the door. I grabbed the white box Link had handed me yesterday and walked towards my room to get dressed.

I sat the box on my bed and opened it to find a mint green lace top dress. It was very lovely. I immediately pulled the dress on and felt the long lace sleeves slide onto my arms. The dress looked so lovely in the box that I carefully walked to the mirror. Not surprisingly, I was disappointed. I wasn't disappointed in the dress, it was beautiful. I was disappointed because it was the same old me that I saw in the mirror. The same woman my mother and father constantly criticized. I felt a tear run down my cheek which I wiped away immediately. My father always saw that as weakness in your eyes. I brushed my hair and pulled it back into a bun. I didn't bother put on makeup (which I knew the council would squawk about later). I was ready to get this over with so I left the room.

Link's Pov

I exited my room and saw Zelda. She was the picture of elegance. I smiled at her and said "You look simply enchanting. She blushed and I walked her to the throne room where her suitors would come one by one to greet her. She had never looked so bored. I chuckled at her expression but quickly regretted it as I saw her shoot me a glare. Man after man came in and introduced themselves. Zelda plastered on a fake smile and greeted them all respectfully. The next man simply appearing next to Zelda, angered me. It was none other than Lord Ganondorf. He walked in and grabbed Zelda's hand to kiss it. Her plastered on smile was starting to crack. "Zelda, My love, you look beautiful." he praised. "What does that mean to you," Zelda snapped. She was clearly as unnerved by his presence as I was. He sneered at her and said "My word, the princess has quite the temper. What are you upset that you can't sleep with your street rat." I was about to attack him but Zelda beat me to it by kicking him in the groin. He fell to the ground. She stepped over his fallen body and called for me to come join her in the dining hall.

There was a long table. All of the princes, dukes, and other royal suitors stood as Zelda walked into the room. When she sat, they sat. It was the oddest thing to watch. I sat next to her and instantly got glares from every man in the room. I couldn't help but feel entertained by their petty jealousy. I mean for goddess sake I just sat by her. Gannondorf finally strolled in the room, looking sour as ever thankfully he chose a seat away from us.

Zelda's POV

After breakfast came the worst part of the day, the individual dates…A blanket was set in the gardens under the shade of a large oak tree. Link hid in the tree for my protection and the individual dates began. I told him not to come unless I signal him to come.

Lord Eric of the Valley of Death was the first suitor. It was a tradition, that the princes come with a gift to present their hopeful bride. He brought a Black Jeweled necklace. He talked about his Kingdom as I feigned interest. I could see in his eyes his intention was to gain power. After the time allotted was up I thanked him and sent him off.

The next suitor was Lord Henrick of Canterberry. He was definitely looking for a trophy wife. He came with an emerald bracelet that was insanely heavy. He was relentlessly bragging about his money and how much he worked out. Like I couldn't see he was on steroids. I continued to smile and nod until the time with him was up and he left.

The third suitor was a pig. It was the Duke of Orrington. His eyes were filled with Lust from the moment we met. He presented me with a ruby spider broach. I thanked him and was about to put it aside when he grabbed my thigh. I gasped in surprise and Link hopped down from the tree with his sword drawn. The Duke let me go and Link suggested, "If I were you, I would leave." The duke frowned knowing he got caught and left. I sighed with exhaustion and asked Link if he would tell the rest of the suitors I was going to take a fifteen minute break. He agreed and went to inform them. I collapsed back onto the blanket trying to clear my head. I heard Links footsteps come closer so I sat up and leaned against the tree. "I am amazed," I said. He looked at me curiously and I finished, "You know how I said there is 3 things that royal men hunt for: money, power, and a trophy wife." He nodded in remembrance. "Well, I just discovered a fourth… sex." He frowned up a bit and said "You know you don't have to meet with the rest if you don't want to." I scoffed and said "Unfortunately, I do need to meet with them. If I don't do what the council asks me to do on this one day out of each month, they will choose a husband for me. I get no choice in the matter." Link grabbed a rose from a nearby bush and put it in my hair. He then said, "I will be watching over you regardless." He back up the tree and waited for the next round.

Suitor after suitor came and bestowed gifts upon me. It was becoming late in the evening when the Last suitor came. You can guess who it was. Lord Ganondorf. He gave me a ruby tiara. As I did with the others, I thanked him. He smiled widely and said "That wasn't nice what you did earlier." I masked my face to hide my fear and replied, "You deserved it." He growled and said, "I am offering you what you want more than anything, a heir. You know you can't have one without the help of magic." I laughed and said "I would lie down with a hungry lion before I would lie with you." With that he stood up and grabbed me by the throat. I felt his nails sink into my skin. Link Jumped from the tree with his sword held high above his head. He was about to strike Ganondorf, but Ganondorf moved me in the position where Link tried to strike. Link had no time to react. The sword came in contact with my shoulder. Ganondorf threw me against the tree and walked off. Link rushed to my side ripping his tunic as a bandage. He begged for my forgiveness and of course I didn't blame him. He then carried me inside to clean it and get a closer look.

He ripped the sleeve off my dress and poured the same wine I used on his wounds on it and wiped it away. The cut was deep, but it wouldn't require stitches. He bandaged it up very tight. His eyes were filled with concern, but I assured him I would be fine. I stood up (slightly woozy from the blood loss) and I grabbed a dress from my wardrobe to change into in the bathroom. I heard mumbling from outside the bathroom door and exited. Link had annoyed look on his face. "What did I do?" I asked playfully. He looked down at his boots and said, "The council would like to have a small dance tonight for you and the suitors. They have already decorated and made all the preparations. So they want you to get dressed up immediately."


	6. The mask

Link had annoyed look on his face. "What did I do?" I asked playfully. He looked down at his boots and said, "The council would like to have a small dance tonight for you and the suitors. They have already decorated and made all the preparations. So they want you to get dressed up immediately." I grimaced at the thought. My shoulder was killing me and quite frankly I would have preferred ripping my own eyes out than to have to face Ganondorf again. I sighed in defeat and sat on my bed. I then looked back upon Link and asked "Link, why don't you go get some of your clothing from the tailors. They might have something you could wear for tonight. While you're gone, I am going to take a quick nap." Although I could tell he was worried and didn't like the idea, he did as he was asked.

I turned my body to face the balcony. After a few minutes, I saw link hop on his horse and gallop off towards the city. Suddenly, I felt an uncomfortable feeling, like I was being watched. I turned around and standing before me was my worst nightmare. He chuckled as I raced out of the bed only to be caught by his arm. "Hello Princess." He said as he suddenly squeezed my already injured arm harder. I screamed thinking that the guards or someone could hear me…but no one came. I then noticed that the walls had a greenish glow to them. He smirked and said "It is a sound proof spell dear," He punched me in the face and then repeatedly beat my body. I tried to fight him off, but it was useless. He was much to strong and heavy for me to defend myself. Finally after several minutes of trying, I gave up and just took the beating. When he realized I gave up he hopped off of me and said "Let's play again some time." I then noticed the sound of horse shoes hitting the ground outside. With that ganondorf left.

I leapt to my feet and rushed to the wardrobe. I grabbed a floor length white long sleeved dress and a masquerade mask and ran into the bathroom with my makeup. I didn't want Link to see me like this. I slammed the door and pulled off my current dress. The bandages Link had put on my shoulder had turned red. Ganondorf must have made it bleed again from the beating. I sighed and tried to suppress a sob. I heard a knock coming from the bedroom door. "I am getting dressed Link," I yelled trying to sound as normal as possible. It worked thankfully and he yelled back, "Okay, I will go get dressed too then…" He sounded uncertain of himself, but I knew he went off. With that I put pressure on my wound, to make it stop bleeding and rewrapped it. I then inspected my other bruises which were a bluish purple and covered any that would be visible with makeup. I pulled the white dress on and moved to the bruises on my face. They were the worst. I covered as much of it as I could with makeup and put the mask on the over the rest. I washed a little bit of blood out of my hair in the sink and patted it dry with a towel. I brushed my hair out and put on a simple tiara. My council would not like my hair being down for such an event, but I am past caring.

A knock sounded at the door and I walked over to open it. Outside, was a white box with a ribbon? I looked at it puzzled and pulled the ribbon to open the box to find a long stem white rose. The rose had a tag attached to it that read simply, "Keep smiling, Link." I chuckled at his meek but charming words and put the rose in a vase by my bedside. I didn't bother close my door, knowing he would soon be here to join me. Sure enough, a few minutes later he walked in with a white tunic and dress pants. I looked at him up and down and he looked incredibly handsome. I smiled at him and joked "Well, the Prince Charming look, actually works for you…unlike some of these idiots." He looked like he was trying not to laugh and blush at the same time. I simply smiled at him and said, "Thank you for the rose, it really made my day." He walked up to me with a concerned look in his eyes. He must have sensed something was wrong. I broke eye contact with him and looked at my shoes. I then remembered something that might distract him. I got up and went to my wardrobe and pulled out a sword. It was a very fancy sword, which was passed down through the family. It had a gold handle and had what looked like vines growing down the blade. I handed it to him and said with a smile "This may help with your new occupation Sir Link." He gave me a quick glare; I knew he hated being called sir. He then put the sword in the sheath I also pulled out my closet and wore it on his side. Harold, the councilor from earlier interrupted us once again and said, "Your suitors are WAITING, your majesty." I rolled my eyes but followed. All the while, I was holding onto links hand for dear life.


	7. self portrait

We walked down the hall way that lead to the ball room. Harold was scolding me on the simplicity of my dress and hair. Link looked irritated at him and I was lost in my own thoughts. I couldn't seem to concentrate on anything but the pain in my shoulder and the bruises that covered my body. I wondered how long I could keep the bruises a secret, especially from Link. I don't know why I wanted to hide it from him. I suppose I just didn't know how he would react, considering the scars and bruises he had when he first arrived. Harold then instructed me, "Princess Zelda, the council demands that you dance with every suitor at least once tonight." My heart dropped; there was no way out of this.

The doors were opened by the guards and we walked through. The whole room of suitors turned to look at me and I was instantly terrified. Link must have sensed it because he gently grabbed my hand and whispered to me, "I will be close by should you need me." I nodded and grabbed a glass of wine from a passing waiter. No sooner did I grab the wine, Lord Eric of Canterberry asked me to dance. I looked for a place to put my wine glass but Link grabbed it from my hand with a halfhearted smile and held it for me. He led me towards the dance floor and the music started.

Link's POV

I took her glass and held it for her. I didn't want any of these snooty princes trying to slip something in her drink. I watched her as she twirled about the room with Lord Eric. Despite the fact I knew she had absolutely no interest in him or any of the other men in the room, I felt envious of them being able to be so close to her. She was definitely a sight to behold. Something was different about her though. She seemed really sad since I came back from the tailors. I wondered if something happened while I was gone. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Impa float next to me. She about the room irritated. She broke the uneasy silence and said, "I sense something is wrong." I nodded and said, "I have that feeling to but I don't know what the cause of it is." She watched the men on the dance floor as if she were scanning their souls.

I just then remembered a question I have been meaning to ask her, "Impa, Why does Zelda freak out when she sees mirrors." I saw sadness flash before the woman's red eyes. She sighed and said, "I don't think it is my place to tell you that." I frowned and said "Please, I am very worried about her." She shook her head and said, "Let me go get something and I will explain." Before I could say anything she walked through the walls. I cursed and doubted she would come back. I then saw Zelda approach me. I smiled at her and she said, "Link, you can go eat or drink something if you would like. Just because your my body guard doesn't mean you need to watch me every second."I chuckled and handed her the wine I was holding for her. She gratefully accepted it and I replied, "I am not very hungry and besides, it is humorous to watch your facial expressions around these men. It is like watching a soap opera." She frowned at my reply and I took her now empty glass of wine from her as another man whisked her away to the dance floor.

Surprisingly Impa returned with a folded up paper in her hand. She then asked "Link, have you ever heard of the expression beauty is in the eye of the beholder?" I nodded and she continued. "A long time ago, a witch came to the castle on a cold winter night seeking shelter. The king was having a bad day and sent her out in the cold. Zelda, was clinging to her father's leg begging him to let her stay. She always was a sweet child. The old lady stood there watching Zelda plea to his father and turned to him to say 'because of your heartlessness towards me and your child, your wife and your daughter shall be barren for the rest of their days." She left and sure enough, the doctors confirmed they would never have children. The King and Queen was furious at the princess and became verbally abusive towards her. They were constantly calling her ugly, scrawny, hideous, slut, homely, slob, repugnant, stupid, and so many other names. Eventually started to believe it. A few years later, Zelda's Art teacher came to me looking distressed. I asked him what is wrong and he showed me this." She handed me the folded up piece of paper which read on the outside, "Zelda 5th grade," I opened up the piece of paper to see something horrific. It was a skeletal looking girl with long straggly hair looking into a mirror with sad eyes. She was holding onto a teddy bear and there was blood trailing down her arms. I looked up at Impa very confused. She then said "That was her self-portrait." I stood there stunned and looked up at the gorgeous girl that was dancing across the room. I wondered how she could possibly think she looked like this. This picture looked like a redead version of Zelda or something. A thought then occurred to me, if her parent's brainwashed her into believing she was ugly, I could slowly mold her into seeing her true beauty. I smiled, turned to Impa to hand her the paper and said, "I know what to do." She looked at me skeptically and then said, "Link wait," I turned back to her, she smiled and said "make sure Zelda doesn't drink any more tonight. Anything beyond one glass of wine, will have her vomiting all night." I nodded and ran over to meet Zelda.


	8. I'm Falling to Pieces

_**Dear readers, **_

_**Sorry about the late update, but I kind of have writers block. I have been working on a book and I seem to have worn myself thin. Anyway I do hope this chapter will be to your liking. I will probably rewrite it in the future since this is kind of pulling a rabbit out of a hat. Oh and THANK YOU to **_BLUEZELDA868 _**for reviewing. You are honestly the reason I forced myself out of my writers block (somewhat, I am still struggling.)**_

I ran up to Zelda just as the song ended. She was grasping a second glass of wine from a servant when I caught her attention. She giggled and hiccupped, "Why Link, it is jolly good to see you." I stared at her seeing her sway slightly saying to myself 'yep she is drunk.' I grabbed her wine from her hand and asked "Zelda, might I talk to you in private." She nodded and I extended my arm out to her. She grasped my arm and I lead her out to the center of the royal garden.

The royal garden was a maze of bushes, and at the center of it was a gorgeous fountain. I sat her by the fountain. I couldn't help but stare at her, she was gorgeous. She smiled at me and my heart started to flutter. "You look beautiful tonight," I said. She was silent but she didn't glare at me like she had when I first said she was a beauty at the tailor's shop. After a few minutes she looked back up with a genuine smile and said, "Thank you link." I turned beet red as she kissed my cheek and walked back into the ball room.

I followed her and suitor after suitor asked her to dance. I hated to say it but I was terribly jealous. Impa appeared beside me again and asked, "Why haven't you asked her to dance yet?" I shrugged. I doubted that the Princess of Hyrule would even want to dance with me…although, she did kiss my cheek. I rubbed the spot where it still seemed to tingle. She smirked; I guessed she was spying on us. I sighed and finally replied, "I doubt her council will approve, besides she is probably exhausted anyway." I chucked slightly as I saw her stagger slightly into a duke while dancing. She managed to knock the duke's glass of wine into Lord Ganondorf. I just about lost it. I was trying so hard not to laugh that I seemed to stop breathing. She apologized and he waved it off. Impa wasn't kidding when she said she couldn't hold her liquor. It wasn't helping that the decorative mask she wore probably obstructed her peripheral vision somewhat. The only thing that could have made that moment better was if it had been red wine instead of white.

The next song started and Lord Ganondorf took her hand. It was a tango. I am sure he was still fuming but he took it out on her through dance. Although, I must admit, despite her being tipsy, she kept up with him like a champ. The dance came to a stop and I saw him speaking with her while giving her what looked like a card. She opened it and said "Oh a miniature portrait…..of you." She tried her best to look pleasantly surprised. He then told her to flip it over. When she did I saw her emotions seem to crash. She looked like she was about to cry. Noticing this, I walked towards her and that is when I heard it. _**SMACK. **_I stopped…stunned…He turned his head that now had a red hand print back to her and she stormed out of the room.

One of the Princes picked up the portrait and flipped it over to see what had upset her so. His eyes went wide. He turned around to face Lord Ganondorf and said in a most unregal manor, "DUDE, SERIOUSLY…YOU GAVE HER THE CARD OF A PLASTIC SURGEON! ARE YOU REALLY THAT STUPID" I couldn't believe what I just heard. Immediately I dashed out of the ball room and ran to look for her.

…

ZELDA'S POV

I slammed the door to my room. Tears were rolling down my face. I was FURIOUS! How dare he give me the business card of a plastic surgeon? I threw a random vase on the floor in disgust. I then sat down at my vanity and took of my mask. The bruises were starting to show as the makeup was getting washed off by my tears. I then took a good look at myself in the mirror of the vanity. I was even uglier than usual. Bruises covered my face and behind my gown concealed many more. I hated the woman I saw in the mirror. Not only was she hideous, but she was also weak. I could no longer control myself. I punched the mirror as hard as I can. It cracked. I smiled weakly and slid to the floor.

Finally calming down some I scanned the room and realized the vase I threw contained the rose Link gave me. I crawled over to retrieve it and sat in a corner holding it tightly. The thorns dung into my skin, but considering the bruises I had from Ganondorfs punishment, it was nothing. I sat with my head between my knees. My hair covered my face.

Just then I heard a knock at my door. "G-Go Away!" I screamed. Despite my request, the door opened to reveal Link.

LINK'S POV

I looked around the room there was glass everywhere. The vanity mirror was crushed. I scanned the room until I finally spotted who I was looking for. She sat curled up in the corner. Her hair covered her face, but I could tell she was crying because she was shaking. She was clutching the rose I had given her for dear life. I knelt down in front of her curled up form and grasped her hands. The rose hit the floor and I noticed the blood. Some was from the glass and some was from the thorned rose (he he he authors name, pun intended.) I rubbed my finger across her knuckles to see if there was any more glass stuck in them. I then pulled her to her feet. She was looking to the ground. Her hair covering her face was starting to bug me so I lifted her chin and placed her hair behind her ear. When I did, I stumbled back in shock. The poor girls face was black and blue. I instantly hated myself when she saw my reaction. She ran into the bathroom and locked the door. I sat up against it, listening to her sob.

_**CLIFF HANGER!**_


	9. Going Skyward

HEY EVERYONE, I hope your enjoying the story. I am sorry it was taking soooo long to get this one updated. My computer broke and I just about died. I am also struggling with some writers block still. In any case I would like to thank my 2 reviews WolfenAmphithere, andBluezelda868. Yall are awesome and inspire me to write. I would also like to announce, I started a new story called The Magic of makeup. I hope you read it and enjoy. Tally ho!

LINK'S POV

I sat by her door all night. At about 1:00 in the morning, her sobbing stopped completely and all I could hear was soft breathing. She must have fallen asleep. I stayed there as her soft breathing lulled me into a deep slumber.

ZELDA'S POV

I woke up on the bathroom floor, very confused. I scrunched up my nose, deep in thought of what occurred last night. The alarmed look in Link's face hit me like a ton of bricks. I knew he was just concerned but I couldn't help the way I felt. I felt disgusting and with him seeing me in such a fragile state, I just lost it. It was odd how he was constantly complimenting me. He seemed sincere, but I wondered how he could genuinely see beauty in a person like me. I slowly opened the bathroom door, only to discover Link was sleeping against it. As I opened the door wider, I put my hand under his head so his head wouldn't hit the ground. I then stepped over him and went to train outdoors.

LINK'S POV

I woke up to the sound of sweeping. The maids were cleaning up the broken glass on the ground. I picked up Zelda's rose and sat it on her desk. She was nowhere in sight, so I went to take a shower put on clean clothes.

After I got out of the shower I wrapped a towel around myself and walked into my bedroom. I was startled to see a woman sitting on my bed; it was Impa. She smirked and asked, "What no dinner first?"

I wasn't sure how to respond. Seeing my obvious confusion she burst into laughter. She then continued by asking, "Would you like to find the Princess, or am I wasting my time being here?"

I nodded and followed her outside. We passed the stables and went towards the area wear the army barracks were. Sure enough, there was the princess wearing her armor and a pair of sunglasses (I am assuming to cover her bruises) assaulting another sparing dummy.

She saw me and immediately sheathed her sword. She walked up to me and said, "I am assuming you want answers?"

I nodded and asked "Who did this to you?" She burst into tears and her knees gave out on her. I caught her and sat her next to me on the ground. She leaned against my chest crying. Her small hands clung to my shirt and her tears drenched it. Once she gained some composure, she began to tell me everything that happened when I left for the tailors. My heart swelled in anger towards Ganondorf. Eventually she fell asleep in my lap.

I lay back with a smile on my face, I couldn't believe I was becoming so close to Zelda. I knew I shouldn't, but that didn't matter. Of course, as usual we get interrupted; Harold had entered into the court yard and I woke Zelda up. She looked around and frowned. Harold bowed and said, "Good Morning princess, I have a letter from Skyloft for you. They want to invite you over for week to discuss a trade meeting."

She looked up at him with a puzzled look and asked "A whole week, just to discuss trading between regions?" He then suddenly found his shoes interesting and mumbles something about a ball. She sighed and said, "I have no interest to attend the ball." He smirked and said "We figured you would say that so we would like to strike a deal with you." I saw her eyebrows shoot straight up. She then asked, "Wow, the council wants to compromise with me…that's a first. What's the deal?" He cleared his throat and said, "If you go the full week and attend the ball we will skip this month's suitor's day." She then smiled and said, "Fine on one condition… My body guard comes with me." Harold's face turned red with anger, but he agreed so we went inside to start packing.

ZELDA'S POV

The next day I got dressed and covered my bruises with makeup. Then we met up with the loftwing riders outside of Hyrule field. They were gorgeous birds. I went to pet one but it snapped at me, so I backed off. Link had never seen a Loftwing before so his face was priceless. The bird was taller than him. We got on the two loftwings with their riders and took off. It was about a 15 minute flight, but it was exhilarating. I felt invincible. My arm that was cut was still sore but not nearly as bad as it was yesterday. The riders then started to show off by doing flips and spins through the air. Link and I were laughing the whole time. Suddenly I saw a city in the clouds. I gasped, it was soooooo pretty. Colorful flags flew proudly in the wind. I could see Skyloft's Knight Academy in the far distance. People were waving at us upon arrival. It was King Gaepora and his son Prince Groose (yes I know they are not royalty, but deal with it. It is my story lol) Prince Groose looked at me like he was looking at a giant hamburger. I became instantly uneasy. I looked to Link, and he seemed to share my discomfort. I looked back and noticed we were now on the ground…well sort of. Prince Groose helped pull me down from the loftwing. Despite my edginess I managed to squeak out a thank you.

"Welcome friends!" Gaepora bellowed with a laugh and continued, "My my Princess Zelda, you look just like your mother." I mentally frowned despite the fake smile that was plastered on my face. He then continued and said, "Come my friends, there is much to see!" Gaepora turned around when we heard a screech in the sky. We looked to see a Giant red loftwing approach us. Groose gasped. He landed right in front of Link. It was amazing the red loftwing nudged his head against Link like he knew him all his life. Link pet the bird and now Gaepora and Groose were both looking at Link like he grew a third head. Link looked at me as if to ask what's going on. I didn't have a clue so I just shrugged.

Gaepora then asked "Boy, what's your name?" Link answered his question. Then Gaepora asked "Link, where are you from?"

Link said, "I don't know, I am an orphan." The loftwing seemed to become closer and closer to Link as they were standing there.

The king scratched his head and explained, "Well Link, this is interesting. The Loftwing you have there is a red one which is very rare. Also this is the first time a loftwing has bonded with someone from the surface."

Link clicked his tongue and asked, "So what does this mean?"

Gaepora then explained, "If you would like to fly with her, all you need to do is jump off a diving strip and whistle. She will immediately catch you. Since he has imprinted on you, your thoughts become one and she will know where you want to go."

Groose then had a malicious smirk on his face and said, "I think we should test this don't you Link? By the way Zelda, this is your body guard right." I nodded. He then pushed me off the ramp and I was falling. I screamed in terror. My mind kept thinking, I'm going to die. I'm going to Die. Suddenly, I feel something catch me.

LINK'S POV

Prince Groose pushed Zelda off the Diving strip and started to laugh. I pushed him out the way and dived off. As I was diving I whistled and sure enough the red loftwing caught him. As soon as they made contact Link felt a spark and their minds connected. The loft wing dove to help me save Zelda. We flew under her and she landed into my arms. She wasn't moving at first so I panicked. But then I feel her let out a breath and she looked up. I stared at her in her eyes. She bit her lip. I felt my stomach do a flip. We lean in close to each other and then…

"You actually managed to catch her? I was supposed to rescue her!" Groose yelled from his loftwing. I looked back up annoyed. Must everyone interrupt us?

We then flew back up to the ledge and I hopped off the loftwing. I didn't even bother to help Zelda down. I ran next to Groose's bird and pulled him off by the collar. I held him in the air and said, "If you dare pull a stunt like that again, I will shred you up so bad that your own mother won't recognize you." I then threw him to the ground and walked over to Zelda. I wrapped my arm around her waist protectively.

Prince Groose looked over to his father as if to say do something. King Gaepora laughed and said, "Sorry son, you deserved that one. He sat there, crossed his arms, and pouted.


	10. Hunk of Burning Love

Hey guys, I got a message from someone that said they didn't like the word 'yall.' Well I am from the south and quite frankly I don't care. But other than that as always I would like to thank everyone for the reviews and hope you like this chapter.

ZELDA'S POV

Link assisted me in carrying my bags up the stairs of Skyloft castle. I could already tell I was going to love the place, because it also doubled as an academy. I bet it has an amazing Library. I walked down the vast hallways in search of Link and my room numbers. Mine was 321 and Link's number was 322. We went up 3 flights of stairs. I was struggling with the small bags I had but Link looked unfazed. We walked down the 3rd floor hall; there were soooo many beautiful princesses. I immediately felt both shy and self-conscious. To make matters worse, they were all looking at me. I would have subconsciously hugged myself if my bags weren't weighing my arms down. Link came to a stop and opened the door for me. I sat my bags on the bed and thanked Link. He bowed, shot me a cheeky smile and went to his room next door. I lay back on the bed utterly exhausted.

OMNIPOTENT POV (BECAUSE I AM JUST GODLY LIKE THAT ROTFLMAO)  
Several girls eyed the blonde haired girl walk down the hall. She was breathtakingly beautiful. It was almost inhuman. One girl in particular named Princess Ruto was particularly interested in the fresh meat that walked through the door. She had a posy of girls who would follow her everywhere. In Ruto's kingdom, she was the prettiest girl in the land. Although, this was not her Kingdom (Yet , she thought to herself). She refused to be upstaged by some skinny little blonde. So she made a pact to destroy this princess.

ZELDA'S POV

"Hi there, what's your name?" A voice called from the door. I sat up immediately and my face turned to the open door. A very beautiful girl with exotic blue hair stood in the door. She was wearing a white ruffled dress that seemed to mimic waves on her pale blue skin. I stared at her in awe.

She smirked and I replied, "Hi, My name is Zelda. If I may be so bold, where are you from…I have just never seen someone so pretty."

She laughed and said, "I am Princess Ruto, of Zora's Domain. I get that a lot."

This time I had to laugh, "I am sure you do. Did you need something?"

She shook her head and said, "No, I was just getting to know people. By the way, who was the hunk of burning love who escorted you up the stairs?"

I was about to respond when Link entered the room with his chest puffed out like a turkey. He said, "That would be me. You can look but don't touch." I damn near wet myself at his response. Ruto was making it worse, her previously blue skin was turning red. He started to laugh and held out his hand, "Hi my name is Link."

She managed to gain control of her embarrassment and replied, "Ruto, and trust me I will be looking." She then walked out the door after giving him a wink.

I smirked at Link and said, " Well well well aren't we feeling cocky today?

He shook his head no and said, "Nah, I just saw an opportunity to make you laugh. I noticed you looked nervous in the hall."

I blush and ask, "How is it you can read me like a book?"

He flashed me a quirky smile and said, "It's in the hunk of burning love's job description. Would you like to go to dinner?"

I smiled and he escorted me down to the dining room we had passed as we were carrying our bags up.

The dining room was different from the one in Hyrule. Instead of one really long table there was several round tables covered with beautiful silk table cloths. Ruto waved to us to join her table. I recognized two people at her table, Ruto and Groose. There were three girls I didn't recognize however. One girl had light greenish skin with fiery orange hair. She was wearing a black dress that left little to the imagination. Ruto introduced her as Midna. The next girl had bright red hair she had a slight tan and wore designer boots. Apparently, her name was Malon. The final girl looked a bit shy. She was short with bright green hair and was wearing a green dress. We talked the whole dinner. They were all very nice. Link looked a little irritated though; Ruto was being beyond flirtatious towards him. I guess Ruto didn't pick up that he was just joking around earlier.

After I finished eating, I excused myself and Link mouthed a "thank you," towards me as we exited the dining hall.

Link decided to strike up conversation, "So that was…interesting."

I smiled at him and wrapped my hand around his. I looked him in the eye and said, "Maybe this won't be as bad as I thought. I am away from Ganondorf and I might just make some friends."

He squeezed my hand and said, "You know, you have me as a friend."

I nodded and replied, "Of course, I wouldn't have it any other way. It is just, I need some lady friends. There are some things that I simply can't talk to you about."

He grinned and said, "Like how I am a hunk of burning love?"

I laughed and said "Exactly."

We finally arrived at our rooms and bid each other good night.

RUTO'S POV

Link and Zelda exited the dining room and I turned back to my group. Sariah was the first to speak up, "They seem very nice. I am glad that they are joining the group."

Malon stirred her tea and said, "Yeah and that guy Link was so dreamy."

Midna then spoke up, "Yeah, they are pretty funny to."

I felt my face heat up and I slammed my hand on the table. We were the last people in here since the other tables had already left and Groose left to speak with his father earlier. The sound must have scared them since they all jumped. "What are yall thinking? She is not becoming part of our group. We are getting to know her so we can destroy her. She is competition, and if we ever want to get the men of our dreams, we need to knock out the competition! You have all grown soft."

Sariah then piped up and said, "What if I don't want to destroy her?"

I looked her straight in the eye and said, "Then you can go back to your previous reputation as the invisible woman." She squeaked and Malon and Midna both looked equally scared.

I smiled back at them and said, "Let's get to work."


	11. And, you say I can't hold my liquor

RUTO'S POV

"Ok girls, this is day one of our plot. Here is what I want you to do. Midna, I want you to bring Zelda a cup of coffee with this mixed in it." I say as I hold out a tiny baggy with powder in it. "It is called disulfiram. She will drink it, and there will be no effect. But, when she drink's her glass of wine at lunch, the alcohol will cause the medicine to chemically react. The chemical reaction will cause her to become very sick, which will prevent her from coming on the tour with Prince Groose and that cutie Link, leaving only us and the plain looking princesses." Midna looked at me like I grew a third head. She screamed, "What, I am not doing that?!" I grabbed her by the collar of her night gown and said, "You can and you will! Now GO!"

MIDNA'S POV

I ran down the hall to fetch a cup of coffee and brought it to her door. I kept saying to myself, "I can do this. I can do this." I knocked on the door and it opened. She smiled brightly and said, "Hey Midna, what's up?"

I looked down at my feet feeling guilty as all hell and said, "I brought you some coffee."

She smiled at me and said, "Thank you for thinking of me, but I don't drink coffee. Link does however."

Link exited his room and Zelda asked, "Link do you want some coffee? Midna brought it up for me but I just don't care for it."

I mentally screamed 'shit' as I saw his eyes light up. He grabbed the coffee excitedly and drank it in down in 2 gulps.

"Thanks Midna," he said. I twirled my hair nervously and nodded. I then took off to my room, praying Ruto wouldn't kill me later.

Zelda turned to Link and asked, "I wonder what's got her so shaken up?" He shrugged and they headed to breakfast.

LINK'S POV

I walked with Zelda to breakfast. I looked at Zelda's beautiful smile. It was nice not to see her stressed out over paperwork or Ganondorf. It was kind of like a mini-vacation for her. Of course she still had some royal duties, but it was nowhere near the amount she would normally be conducting. We reached the dining hall and I pulled out her seat for her. Groose came to the table and looked at me. I shot him back a look that clearly stated 'what do you want.'

He looked like he was squirming but finally said, "I think we got off on the wrong foot yesterday and I was wondering if we could start over." I reluctantly nodded, knowing Zelda would be mad if I didn't since he did sound sincere. He gave me a glass of ale and said let's toast, "to Zelda."

I smiled and replied, "To Zelda." Zelda looked slightly embarrassed but didn't say anything. Ruto and the rest of her group started to enter the Dining room. I took a sip of the ale and suddenly felt dizzy. 'Wow this is some powerful stuff' I thought to myself. I looked up at Zelda and knew I was becoming sick because my vision was stating to become blurry.

"Link, are you alright?" she asked. I couldn't hold it any longer. I grabbed the vase off the table, threw the flower on the ground and vomited in it. Everyone in the room immediately dropped their forks.

I got up to leave, but the dizziness took hold of me. Zelda caught me and wrapped her arm around my waist. She then grabbed my arm and put it around her shoulder. She led me all the way back up the stairs. We had to stop a few times so I didn't vomit on her. I felt terrible. Finally reaching my room she sat me on the bed and grabbed a bowl off the dresser. She filled the bowl with water and told me to lay down. I did and she grabbed a hand towel out the bathroom. She pulled a chair next to the bed and pressed the towel to my forehead.

She looked down at me and asked, "Link, why didn't you tell me you weren't feeling well?"

I shook my head and explained, "I felt fine till I drank the ale."

She chuckled and said, "And, you say I can't hold my liquor." I couldn't help but smirk. She sat a trash can next to the bed and said get some rest. She sat in the chair by the bed and I fell asleep.

MIDNA'S POV

As soon as Link and Zelda were out of earshot, Ruto turned to me and asked, "WHAT DID YOU DO?!" I hid behind Malon and said, "Well, I brought her the coffee, but she said she didn't drink coffee and she gave it to Link." If looks could kill, I would be three feet under. Ruto's eyes turned a dark red color and she scoffed, "Fine." She walked out the dining room. I am certain, she is already planning her next attack.

RUTO'S POV

'THAT IDIOT, HOW COULD SOMEONE POSSIBLY SCREW SOMETHING UP AS SIMPLE AS THIS!'I thought to myself as I softly knocked on Link's room. I heard Zelda whisper, "come in."

I did and asked, "So Zelda, are you coming to tour the town with us."

She shook her head and whispered, "I rather stay with Link. I have never seen him so sick." She pushed back some hair that was covering his sleeping eyes and rewet the towel for his head.

As odd as it was, I smiled and asked, "You really care for him don't you?" She nodded and though I was starting to now feel guilty I knew what needed to be done. I then said, "Alright, see you later then. We might just pick you up something since you're staying here." Before she could reply I exited the room. What can I possibly get her that would cause trouble?


	12. Being Snippy

RUTO'S POV

I walked through the stores with Groose, making sure to capture his attention. I was making sure to ask him about his customs; although, I could have cared less about it. It made me look interested in his country.

"Infact Ruto, there is one of my favorite customs in 3 days." Groose chimed.

"Really?" I asked, "While we are still all in town, how lovely. What is it?"

"The Wing Ceremony; It is a race on the back of loft wings. People come from all over Skyloft to compete. Infact, I was thinking about asking Link if he would like to compete in it. Although he is new, he seems to have a fantastic connection with his bird. "

I looked up at him with a broad smile (I could work with this), "OH MY GROOSE, That is a BRILLIANT idea."

He flashed a winning smile and said, "I thought so too. I was also thinking of asking Zelda to be the goddess."

It felt like someone just slammed on the breaks. Did he really just say that to me? In the calmest matter I could muster, I asked "Why Zelda?"

He replied, "She looks most like the ancient Goddess Hylia. However, she would have to sew a Sailcloth. Plus I would have to convince her to do so."

This just keeps on getting better and better, I thought to myself. "You just convince Link to race. If he races, I am positive Zelda will. In fact I will even pick up the supplies she will need to make the cloth."

Groose turned to me and said, "That is really thoughtful of you Ruto."

"Oh think nothing of it."

I purchased a pair of scissors, cloth, and a pack of needles for phase one. I also purchased a white sparkly gown with a built in corset and fan for phase 2. Phase 3, I would need to make a few calls for…

Zelda's Pov

It has been 3 hours and Link is finally starting to look much better. His heart rate returned back to a normal pace. He was no longer vomiting or sweating profusely. His breathing was almost normal again. I wondered to myself what could have possibly gotten him so ill. His eyes fluttered open and were looking straight at me. I smiled and asked, "Hey sleepy head, How are you feeling? Are you still dizzy?" He smiled weakly and shook his head no. He then sat up and tried to get up. He was wobbly at first but managed to get his balanced.

He flashed me a charming smile and stated, "I am starving."

I laughed and said, "I guess so, you weren't able to eat breakfast this morning and last night's dinner now resides in this trash can."

He blushed and said, "Thank you for taking care of me Zel."

I smiled and nodded. I was then betrayed by my own stomach, it growled rather loudly. Link laughed and we walked to the dining room. It appeared everyone had just gotten back. The dining room was bustling with noise. Everyone turned to look at Link, probably wondering if there was going to be a repeat of this morning's vase incident. Once they realized he was fine they all turned back to their own table.

We sat down at our table and everybody was chattering. It looked like they all had a great time. Groose turned to us and said, "Hey, I wanted to ask yall something." We both looked up and he continued, "Link, I was wondering if you would like to compete in the Wing ceremony. It is a race we have to celebrate the Goddess Hylia. It's a lot of fun." Link smiled, it looked like he really liked that idea. He nodded. Groose then continued, "Fantastic," he then turned his attention to me and said, "Zelda, I was hoping you would like to play the role of the goddess. She give the winner a handmade sailcloth and a kiss."

I raised my eyebrow at his request and asked, "Now why would I want to give possibly a complete stranger a kiss?"

Ruto then invaded our conversation and said, "Because I picked you out a gorgeous dress and will be completely offended if you don't compete. I also got you all the supplies you would need to make the sail cloth."

I sighed and said, "Fine, It's not like I am going to be forced to kiss Ganondorf." Link between shoveling food in his mouth snorted with laughter.

I smiled and began to eat myself.

Once we finished eating, Link went outside to practice with his loftwing and I followed Ruto to check out the dress and supplies she picked out. I stopped at the dorm and she handed me the dress. It was magnificent, It was a long sleeve white dress with a glitter wing pattern on it. It had a built in corset (unfortunate, but still very pretty). She then grabbed the other supplies and we headed to my room.

I looked through the supplies and had a general idea of what I wanted to do, but Ruto was pestering me to try on the dress (and part of me wanted to also). So I tried on the dress. It fit me like a glove. The corset was uncomfortable, but that was to be expected. Ruto smiled and said "Girl, you're going to have Link falling off his bird when he sees you in this." I blushed and used the fan she gave me. As beautiful as this dress was, it was hard to breath in and it was HOT! I took it off and placed it in my closet. I then hugged Ruto as thanks. She looked shaken but didn't say anything. I then decided to get started on the sailcloth.

RUTO'S POV

At about 1:00 in the morning, I snuck into Zelda's room. She was asleep as I suspected. The first thing I did was go into Zelda's closet. I grabbed her dresses and sneaked them to my room. I called in my seamstress and had her take in all of the dresses about an inch. There weren't that many. I then sneaked over to her body. She must have fallen asleep working on the sailcloth. She made things soooo much easier. I grabbed the sewing scissors off the nightstand and started to cut away at her hair. Her long hair was now going to be a shoulder length mess. Once that was done, I brought her dresses back and put them into the closet. I then went to bed and waited for the show to begin.


	13. I will never be bored around you

Hi, for those of you who haven't figured it out yet, I powered through my writers block. 4 chapters in 2 days woot woot

ZELDA'S POV

I woke up from a fantastic dream. _I dreamed that Link had won the race, and I was standing before him in my beautiful white gown. It was glistening in the sun. I handed him the sailcloth and he leaned in towards me….But before our lips could meet I woke up._ I sighed slightly frustrated and walked over to the mirror to do my hair. When my eyes made contact with the mirror and I screamed. Link burst into the room half dressed with his sword drawn. He looked around for danger but didn't see any. He then looked back to me and I whispered, "Somebody cut my hair." It was a disaster. It was not in the slightest bit straight. I felt my eyes tear up. He dropped his sword and pulled me into a hug. It wasn't just the hair cut that bothered me. It was the fact that someone hated me so much that they would do this.

Link handed me a handkerchief he had in his pocket and told me, "Don't worry Zellie, We can fix it to where it is all one length. It will eventually grow back." I nodded and smiled at him. By then a crowd had gathered at the door and people were laughing. I went into the bathroom with the scissors and Link shooed the people away. I started to even out the sides, but Link would have to do the back. As if on cue he walked in. I finished off the sides and handed him the scissors. We stood there in silence, mainly because he was concentrating on fixing my hair and I was just feeling self-conscious. When he was finally finished, it didn't look too bad. Ruto, Midna, Malon, and Sariah walked in and complemented the good job Link had done. I still felt awkward but I felt better knowing that Link had helped. He then went back to his room to get dressed. He was still walking around only in his boxers…not that I minded the view.

The girls sat on the bed. I grabbed a dress and went into the bathroom. Something weird happened, No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't zip the dress up on my own. I then asked if one of the girls could help me. I walked into the room as Midna was closing the bedroom door and Sariah stood up to help me Zip it. It was difficult, but she finally managed to get it up. It was so tight I was afraid to breath in it. I started talking to them because I needed to vent, "I just don't understand this. This dress fit fine a few days ago plus the whole hair incident. Today is a dreadful day and it hasn't even started."

Malon was saying words of comfort when Ruto interrupted, "Zelda, I have something you may not want to hear, but I would be a pour friend if I didn't say anything." I was nervous, but I let her know that I was listening. She looked at her feet and said, "Zelda, you're getting kind of chubby. I noticed this before but today just confirmed it. It is not normal for someone to gain so much weight so fast." The other girls stared in disbelief. I was kind of shocked too, when I was a child I was always criticized for being too skinny. But now, I had someone telling me I was getting fat.

I looked at my horrid reflection in the mirror and tried to think, was there anything there that I liked? The dress was so tight I looked like a whore. I sighed and turned back to Ruto and asked, "What can I do about it? My eating habits haven't changed in the slightest." She hugged me and said, "Well you have several options. One, you could go the supermodel route." I shook my head no, they always had such disgusting teeth. "Two, you could take laxatives and diet pills. I also shook my head at that one. "Three, you could starve yourself."

I turned to her and asked, "Are there any healthy options?" She shook her head no and said, "Not if you want to fit in that fantastic gown in 2 days. I sighed and figured this was my best bet.

A knock sounded on the door and I opened it. Link was standing there and asked, "Are you ready to go to breakfast?" All the girls got up from the bed and went to the dining hall. Link stood by me and talked to me about practicing with his Loftwing. He seemed to become really attached to this bird. I was glad to see him so happy. While breakfast was going on I mainly played with my food, pushing it around my plate to make it appear that I had eaten something. Link didn't notice thankfully since he was having a conversation with Groose about the race. After breakfast I decided to go outside the castle and run on a trail I saw on the way to the castle. Link wanted to practice for the race again, but I could tell he was keeping an eye on me from up above.

My shorter hair was making things a bit easier since my ponytail wasn't constantly whacking me in the face. I was used to running in charity marathons so I ran a good distance.

MALON'S POV

We were sitting in Ruto's room and I asked, "Ruto, what the hell were you thinking when you cut that girls hair. That was really mean." Sariah jumped in, "Yeah and telling her she was FAT. That is like the cruelest thing to say to a girl. I mean look at her." She said as she pointed out the window. "She has been running laps on that trail for a good 30 minutes!" To my surprise even Midna had something to say, "What you did was low, even or you. She has been nothing but nice to us since day one." We somehow managed to back Ruto into a corner. Ruto was squirming but said, "It's not like I am actually making her fat. I just had my seamstress take in her clothes a little while I cut her hair." We all gasped at Ruto. She was an evil genius. She then finished by saying, "I also have a plan for when she is finished running laps, if you will excuse me."

LINK'S POV

I landed my bird, someone needed to stop Zelda. It has been 2 hours already and she was still running. I landed next to her. She was drenched from head to toe. I said goodbye to my loftwing and asked her if she wanted to go in. She was bending over slightly, out of breath but nodded.

We walked to the castle and I asked her if she would like to go to lunch. I was positive she was starving from all that running. She shook her head no and said, "I will eat something a little later. I am dying for a bath right now." I headed towards the dining area and she headed towards her room. I sat down and began to eat. A few minutes later, Groose asked me if I had a sling shot he could borrow. He was trying to impress a girl. I nodded. Started to head towards my bedroom.

ZELDA'S POV

I grabbed a towel and sat it next to the wooden tub. I stepped in and let my bath water. It seemed to release all the tension that was pent up that day. I leaned my head back and dosed off for a few moments. I opened my eyes when I saw a flash. There was a man in my room taking a picture of me while I was taking a bath. I grabbed my towel, wrapped it around me. I then tried to get out of the tub but I slipped and fell hard on my shoulder. I shrieked, "Get out of here! LINK, HELP!" For the second time today Link busted through the door and saw the man. I was on the floor with a towel wrapped around me. Link ran towards the man, but the man jumped through the window and called his loft wing. Link was about to follow when I groaned in pain.

He then noticed I was bleeding. The old wound on my shoulder had bust open again from my fall. He picked me up and sat me on the bathroom counter. He grabbed some gauze from the medicine cabinet and began to wrap my arm. I felt uncomfortable since I was wearing only a towel around myself but I kept quiet about it. When he was finished he asked me if I knew that guy. I shook my head no. He sighed and said, "Well one thing's for certain."

"What?" I asked.

"I will never be bored when I am around you." He said with a smile.

I knew he was joking but right now I just wanted to curl up into a ball and die. I asked him to leave so I could get dressed and started working on the sailcloth again. I could only hope my tears wouldn't stain it.


	14. A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words

Yay, another review! Please excuse the happy dance and continue to enjoy the story!

ZELDA'S POV

I sat up and worked on that sailcloth all night. It was cold because of the chill the broken window let in. I wanted to sleep but I couldn't. Why couldn't Gaepora have put locks on these damn doors? Morning had come and there was still no incident. I was relieved and irritated at the same time. I stayed up for nothing. I looked in the mirror and my eyes were bloodshot. I looked like a monster. I quickly turned away and put on a clean dress. The dress went on a little easier today. I was so happy.

I heard someone knock on my door and figured it was Link. I was right; he was there to escort me to breakfast. He looked at me and asked, "Zelda, are you feeling ok. You look pale and your eyes are red."

I nodded and said, "I was scared to sleep last night with everything going on." He nodded and carried me to the bed. I looked at him questioningly and he said, "I am going to bring your breakfast up here and watch over you while you sleep." He then kissed my forehead and pulled the blankets over me. I stayed up till he came back in the room with two plates of breakfast. I didn't bother try to eat, once I saw I was safe my head hit the pillow and I was out.

LINK'S POV

I watched her and she seemed stressed even in her sleep. I wish I could do something to make her smile. After the race tomorrow, there was one more day until the ball. I think I am going to bring her out into the town and we can explore together. While she was sleeping, I took a peek at the sailcloth she was busy sewing throughout the night. It was rather beautiful. She had stitched a blue royal crest. A knock on the door pulled me out of my thoughts. I looked up to make sure Zelda was still sleeping and tip toed to the door. When I got out the door I found Groose. He said, "Hey buddy, I saw you weren't out there practicing today. What happened?"

"Well, Zelda was too scared to sleep last night so I offered to let her sleep while I watch over her. I might just bring a chair into her room and sleep there tonight, so I can keep a watchful eye over her."

He nodded and said, "That is probably for the best. I am assuming you saw the newspaper this morning then?"

I shook my head, "No, why is something going on in Hyrule?"

Groose scratched the back of his head and said, "Not exactly." He then handed me the newspaper. The Newspaper Skyloft Times International. The cover story read Risqué Royalty. Underneath the title was a picture of Zelda lying back in the tub. Nothing was showing thankfully, but I knew this was going to devastate her.

As if on cue, Zelda stepped out of the room and greeted, "Hey guys, what's up?"

Groose then decided to change the subject, "Oh there is a new competitor in the race that showed up today."

Thankful for the subject change I said, "Really, who would that be?"

He shrugged his shoulders and said, "It is odd, he is another land dweller like you. His breed of loft wing has never been seen before. It had a solid black body with red eyes. The tips of the birds wings were red too. If you would like to meet him, his room is 3 doors down and…."

The man exited the room Groose was describing and I instantly knew who it was. Ganondorf smirked when he saw us and walked up to us. I instinctively got in front of Zelda.

He grinned and said, "Good morning princess. I just wanted to tell you how much I appreciated your photo in the newspaper."

I mentally said, 'crap' as she grabbed the newspaper out of my hand. Her face turned red; but, I wasn't sure whether it was out of embarrassment or anger.

Ganondorf then chimed in and said, "I am looking forward to your kiss when I win tomorrow princess."

She ripped the paper in half and said, "I highly doubt it. In fact, I do believe Link will be mopping the floor with your aspiring treasure troll haircut." Groose and I looked at each other and burst out laughing. She then turned back around and said, "Groose I wouldn't be laughing if I were you."

I followed her out the castle and she found the area where the Skyloft army normally trained. She needed to blow off some steam so we practiced both sparing and hand to hand combat together. She was more distracted than usual, but that was to be expected. Never the less, when we both were finished practice we were panting and sweaty. She smiled and said, "Thank you Link for helping me today, but you need to go get ready for the race."

I smiled and said "I have a better idea." I picked her up Bridal style and jumped off one of the ledges. I whistled and my loft wing (whom I decided to name crimson) caught us. She was laughing hysterically and we flew over the city. I decided to show off a bit and held on to her tight as my loft wing did flips and turns in the air. Eventually, it started to get dark outside so we landed crimson and I accompanied Zelda back to her chamber. I sat a chair against the wall and slept in the same room as her that night. I was motivated to win that race tomorrow!


	15. A Day at the Races

LONGEST CHAPTER EVER!

ZELDA'S POV

The day of the race had finally arrived, the girls woke Link and I up so I could get ready. From there, they kicked Link out and I suddenly felt like I was under attack. Hair brushes, curling irons, lipstick, and other cosmetic products were flying through the air. I couldn't help but ask, "Girls, is this really necessary?"

Malon answered, "But of course it is necessary. You do want to look good for Link, don't ya?!"

I blushed and Sariah started to paint my nails. I saw Link flying in the air on his loftwing through my window and sighed. I did want to look good for him. Especially since this could be my first real kiss. I mean sure, I have been kissed on the cheek or forehead before. But, I have been saving my first kiss on the lips, for someone special. I knew there was a chance someone else could win, but highly doubted Link would let that happen. After about an hour of tugging my hair back and forth, my hair was finally done. It was curled in defined ringlets and pulled half up half down. I went to try on my dress and I was thrilled to find that it fit. I still can't believe I somehow grew out my clothes so quickly. It was nice to be back down to my normal size but boy am I starving.

Ruto began to tie up the laces on my corset. I gasped and said, "Ruto that is much too tight!"

Ruto shook her head and said, "There is no such thing as too tight with corsets." I was struggling to breath but she handed me a fan and that did seem to help.

Finally Midna helped me put on some jewelry and I was finished. I slipped on my heels and we headed out to the area where the race was to be held. I could not believe how hot it was in this floating kingdom. It is winter back in Hyrule. Did they ever have a winter? I was viciously fanning myself at this point. According to Groose, it was the hottest day of the year. My stomach grumbled and I was beginning to feel ill.

Gaepora greeted me, "Good Morning Zelda, You look exquisite." I thanked him and curtsied respectfully. He then told me, "Here is what is going to happen. In about 3 minutes, the clock will strike 12 and the church bells will chime. Once they have finished. You are to curtsy to the competitors and bid them good luck. They will bow and one of my friends, will then bring you to the goddess statue. While he is bringing you to the goddess statue, I will be explaining the rules of the race to the competitors. By the time I am finished, you will be standing on the goddess statue and I will signal for the race to begin. The winner will meet you on the statue. You will present the winner with the sailcloth and kiss him. He will then jump off the Goddess statue and use his sailcloth to land safely on the ground. You got all that?" I nodded, but I barely understood any of it. I was feeling very faint.

As he discussed, the clock chimed and I wished the competitors good luck. I was then brought to the statue and stood there waiting for the race to begin.

LINK'S POV

My competition and I were standing in a semicircle when Zelda bid us well. She shined with beauty as the sun hit the sparkles on her gown. Her hair was perfectly curled and the glitter seemed to reflect off of her already gorgeous blue eyes. I wasn't the only one who noticed her appearance. It seemed like every man there instantly fell in love. There were 5 other men competing against me and I was ready. Despite the fact I was a bit inexperienced with flying, I felt a very strong connection with Crimson. I was beyond motivated win if it meant I could kiss Zelda. I steadied myself on Crimson and waited for the signal. I looked up at Zelda on the statue one last time. She was standing there with her dress flowing in the wind. I could see why they picked her, she truly looked like a goddess.

Gaepora explained, "Ok, boys. I am going to throw this Loftwing Statue off the ledge and when I say go, you are going to jump off yourself and call to your loftwings. You are to go after the statue and the first person to catch it wins. The winner will fly to the goddess statue to collect his prize. We all nodded and he dropped the statue.

He then yelled,

"Ready?"

"Set?"

"GO!"

We sprinted off the ledge and immediately called our loftwings. Mine was the first to come. Crimson took a nose dive towards the statue. Behind me was Ganondorf's massive black loftwing. I leaned forward to gain momentum and reached out to the statue. Ganondorf slammed his bird into mine and I was hanging half off. I swung my body back on the bird's saddle and urged crimson to speed up. To my surprise, I managed to reach the statue. I turned my head to show Zelda I caught the statue, but she wasn't on there.

ZELDA'S POV

I watched the race. Link and Ganondorf were way ahead of all of the other competitors. The race was suspenseful and I silently prayed to any god or goddess who could hear me, to help Link win. I almost screamed when I saw Ganondorf try to knock Link off his Loftwing. It almost worked, but link had a strong grip on the bird's saddle. He swung his leg over and got back on the loftwing. The thought of almost losing Link took what little breath I had away from me. My eyes became blurry and I felt them roll in the back of my head. I suddenly felt wind on my back and I blacked out.

LINK'S POV

I looked around frantically for her and saw her falling. My loft wing sped off to her and we flew harder than we ever had before. As hard as we were flying I knew we wouldn't make it to her in time. Tears threatened to fall and made it hard for me to see. I thought all hope was lost when I suddenly saw a flash of purple. A purple loftwing without a rider caught her. When I reached the loftwing I pulled Zelda to me and noticed she wasn't breathing. I quickly brought her back to the ledge and examined her. I couldn't see anything that would stop her breathing. The purple loftwing seemed to know what was happening though and she bit down on the corset and pulled it off. Immediately, Zelda gasped for air and was looking around frantically. The purple loftwing nudged her face and Gaepora sent for a doctor. I carried Zelda back to her room and sat her down. Malon, Midna, and Sariah met me there and we waited for the doctor.

When the doctor arrived, he asked us to step outside the door while he examined her. A few minutes later he came out and said, "The fainting spell was a combination of several issues:

The corset she was wearing was way too tight. Which I am sure you figured out on your own.

The heat made it even more difficult to breath. She was probably about to have a mild heat stroke.

Finally, I don't believe she has been eating.

I looked up at the doctor and said, "Of course she has been eating. I have seen her…" I stopped speaking and really thought about it. I only really saw her push her food around her plate and sometimes, I would spot uneaten food in her room's garbage pail. When the realization hit me, I kicked the wall and screamed, "DAMN IT ZELDA!"

Sariah then stated, "Link, I think we owe it to you to tell you something." She looked over towards Midna and Malon and the nodded in agreement and we stepped into Zelda's room. While Zelda was asleep they started to explain everything that was going on.

ZELDA'S POV

I woke up to find Link, Sariah, Malon, and Midna standing around me. I looked up confused, the girls looked upset over something and Link looked mad as hell. I grabbed my head which started to throb and asked, "What happened?"

Link was the first to speak. He gave me a plate of food and said, "Eat, the girls have a lot of explaining to do."

Sariah began by saying, "Zelda, a long time ago we were just like you. We were isolated from pretty much everyone and didn't have many friends. We each met up with Ruto at some point and she became one of our first 'friends.' You see, to be friends with her you have to do whatever she tells you whether you want to or not."

Malon then continued, "That is where you come in. When you first walked down the hall, Ruto was terribly jealous of how pretty you were. She decided she was going to do whatever she could to destroy you. As Sariah said earlier, if you want to be friends with her, you need to do as she commands. If you don't, she will make your life a living hell."

Midna added, "She forced me to spike that coffee with a drug that reacts poorly with alcohol, knowing that you would have a glass of wine with your lunch…Which Link seemed to save you from that fate. She was also the one who snuck in and cut your hair."

I grabbed my now short hair defensively. It was still a touchy subject.

Sariah spoke up again, "She also had all of your clothing taken in to make you think you were getting fat. I am almost positive she had something to do with that picture in the newspaper too."

I suddenly found my feet really interesting. How could I have been so stupid to fall for her tricks? I looked up at all of them and said, "As devastating as all these tricks have been on me, the worst part of this whole ordeal is I actually thought I had managed to make friends."

I walked out the door and made my way outside.

LINK'S POV

I looked at all three girls that remained in the room, feeling beyond annoyed and said, "I hope you feel proud of yourself. She trusts very few people as is. Then you gain her trust only to stab her in the back."

"We only did it because we were scared of what Ruto would do to us if we didn't. We really do want to be friends with her." Sariah replied.

"Well you sure have a funny way of showing it." I said as I left out the door to find Zelda.


	16. Orphans

LINK'S PO

I went outside to look for Zelda and she was nowhere in sight. I saw Groose outside and asked, "Hey did you see where Zelda went?"

He said, "Yeah she flew out towards Hyrule. Do you think she is coming back?"

I nodded and said, "She wouldn't just leave me here if she didn't intend on coming back."

I then ran to the ledge and jumped off. I whistles and crimson was there almost instantly. I wasn't sure where she went, but how hard can it be to find a giant purple bird right?

About 15 minutes later Hyrule came into view and everyone was hustling and bustling through the market. I flew around until I saw the giant purple bird playing with a bunch of kids. Zelda was holding a baby while she spoke to an elderly woman nearby.

I walked up to the pair and the elderly woman seemed to recognize me. The old lady clumsily scrambled over to hug me. I looked at Zelda questioningly and she shrugged. As odd as it was to be hugged by a complete stranger, I couldn't help but be taken back by the sight of Zelda holding that child. She looked at it as if it was the only thing that mattered in the world. The old woman finally let me go and said, "It's been a long time since I have seen you Link. You have turned into such a handsome young man."

I couldn't take it anymore, I scratched the back of my head nervously and asked, "Ummm, do I know you?"

The old woman gave me an irritated look and said, "You used to live here after your Uncle died, remember? I am Miss Simmons."

I then realized where I was. This was the orphanage. Why would Zelda come here? I looked back to Miss Simmons and said, "Uh, It's great to see you again." Despite the fact she used to always yell at me.

She then laughed and said, "This is so funny, seeing you two as adults. I remember as kids you hated each other."

"As kids," Zelda and I asked harmoniously, looking at each other.

She nodded, "Yes, you don't recognize each other?"

We both shook our heads. And she said, "Yeah, when Zelda was little she used to sneak out the castle to play with the other children. No one really played with her in the castle so she always came here to visit, especially when she was upset." Zelda seemed to remember this much and nodded. Miss Simmons then continued, "Link, my little mischief maker used to always do things like take your hair ribbons. And I distinctly remember you dipping her braid into purple paint."

Both of us looked at each other in realization thinking, 'she can't be serious can she.' We both laughed out loud and managed to wake the baby. Zelda quickly started talking soothingly to it and it drifted off to sleep. I then looked up at Zelda and asked, "Who is that you have there?" pointing to the child.

She smiled sweetly and said, "Her name is Emma. Isn't she beautiful?" she cooed at the child and I walked closer to get a better look. The child had beautiful blue doe eyes and curly blonde hair. She was wrapped up in a pink blanket and cuddled into Zelda's chest. I suddenly felt sad knowing Zelda couldn't have kids because of the curse. I knew she would have made a wonderful mother if she were given the chance. I pushed those thoughts out of my head figuring I would make Zelda upset if she found out I thinking about such things. Zelda then asked if I would like to hold her. Truth is told I was slightly scared to. I was never really good with kids. That thought faded away as soon as I held her in my arms. The only thought that occurred to me was, someday I wanted this. I wanted to get married one day and maybe have a few children. I chuckled when the baby let out a big yawn and looked at me. She looked so tiny and innocent. I then handed her back to Zelda (mainly because I was afraid I would drop her).

We continued to talk to Miss Simmons, until we heard all of the children scream and run inside. Emma woke up and started crying. We turned around to see a very rough looking man. He took a swig from his bottle of bear he threw at one of the children. Thankfully he missed. Zelda instinctively held the baby away from this man and I yelled "Hey, you can't just throw glass bottles at children!"

He stumbled over to me and chuckled, "Like any one of these brats is worth anything. They will likely all become thieves and beggars."

I was about to knock this guy out when Zelda said, "Sir, these are innocent children. How can you stand there and say such insensitive things about these poor kids. They have done nothing to you."

He then said, "Well sweet cheeks, one of these brats is the reason my wife is dead. She came here to visit these street rats and the next day she was diagnosed with the small pox."

She looked at him both angrily and sympathetically (I know, what a combination) and said, "Sir, I do not know the environment your wife was in, but I can assure you that germs cause people to become ill, not orphans."

He rolled his eyes and said, "Yeah, I will believe in germs when I can see germs. Until then these orphans will be known as the cause of my wife's death. I will do anything in my power to make sure they are annihilated from this town."

I then spoke up and said, "If you do anything to any one of these kids. I can assure you that you'll be begging me for mercy."

He then spit at Zelda's feet, which is the utmost sign of disrespect and said, "For a princess, you sure don't care about your people." He then walked away.

Zelda sadly handed Emma back to Miss Simmons, seeing that the sun would soon be setting. We sat on our loftwings and flew back to Skyloft. I could tell something was bothering Zelda, and I doubted it was still Ruto and her gang so I asked, "Zelda, what seems to be bothering you?"

She sighed and said, "It's just, visiting the orphanage made me realize, I will never have the opportunity to have kids."

I nodded; I really wasn't sure what to say to ease her grief. All I knew is that I wanted to be there for her. We reached a landing strip and landed together and I ran up to hug her. I wasn't sure what came over me, but I just wanted to be close to her in her moment of despair. She squeezed me equally as tight and whispered, "I lekd ydn."

"What," I asked not understanding her.

She shook her head and said, "Nothing, let's go get dinner… Now that I know I am not getting fat." She chuckled in remembrance of Sariah's confession. I wrapped my arm around her and we walked into the castle.


	17. Bring it!

GAH, Juggling 3 stories at once is no fun...ok yeah it is fun because I get more reviews! 2 New reviews, woot woot! Thank you Sorafi Lynn Mioto and WolfenAmphithere for your support!

ZELDA'S POV

We got back to Skyloft castle with heavy hearts. I loved spending time with the orphan kids. I have loved it even when I was little. It is kind of strange knows that Link was the little boy who used to pick on me; especially since he turned into such a fine young man.

We walked in the dining room and sat at a different table than before. It was nice since it was just Link and I at the table. Ruto was sitting at her usual table, waiting for her friends. She must know that they confessed what she had done because she shot me a mean glare. I started to push food around my plate, not because I was worried about my weight, I made peace with that. I did it because I was still a bit depressed and it felt like there was a knot in my stomach.

Sariah walked into the dining room and saw us sitting at a different table. She looked back and forth from our table to Ruto's and finally decided to walk up to ours. "C-c-can I s-sit with y-you guys?" She asked sheepishly. I shrugged my shoulders and she sat down. I looked back at my food and she said, "Look, I-I know what I did was w-wrong. But, if you give me a second c-chance, I know we could become t-true friends. I am tired of being Ruto's pawn." She said the last part with complete confidence. I looked up at Link, and he looked just as confused as me. Should I? I finally said, "Fine, you have a second chance, just don't blow it."

The next thing I knew two more familiar faces walked in. It was Midna and Malon, they stopped just like Sariah had earlier. However, they didn't seem to hesitate. They walked past Ruto's table and walked straight to mine. They both sat down and said, "We are sorry, can we sit with you?" I nodded and we all conversed in some quiet small talk. I mainly nodded occasionally, since I really wasn't in the mood to speak with anyone yet.

When we were almost finished, much to my dismay Ruto decided to grace us with her presence. She walked over to the table, while sipping her cup of coffee and said, "Hey girls, why have you suddenly decided to swap tables. I think you should know better than to sit with the enemy."

I rolled my eyes and Malon spoke up, "I am so tired of your bitchy control freak attitude. I have a chance at making a real friend and I am going to take it."

Midna then added, "Besides, her friend Link is kind of cute." Malon kicked her under the table and Midna defended, "What, I am just saying?!" She then continued, "Ruto, you have been bullying us for far too long. We are done with you so why don't you go back to your ugly boyfriend Groose, and his pal Ganondorf over there."

Ruto's face was PRICELESS! She was so red, I was honestly waiting for steam to start blowing out of her ears and nose. She turned her nose up and said, "Fine, but I can assure you, you will now become my prey. And you Zelda, boy do I have plans for you."

I looked Ruto straight in the eye and smiled sweetly. The next words that came out of my mouth caused Link to spit out his drink…I said, "Bring it bitch." Link was coughing quietly and I got up to leave the room, but not before I got a cup of hot coffee thrown on me. It burned but I made no reaction to it. I calmly walked out of the room and Link quickly followed after me.

We got back to my room and I inspected my arm. It was where the most coffee had spilled. It was a little red and puffy so I ran some water over it. Link broke a leaf off of a plant that sat near the window and asked me for my arm. I looked at him curiously and did as I was asked. He gently rubbed some liquid that he squeezed out of its leaves. It started to cool and he said, "This is called aloe vera. It is a plant that is commonly used for sunburns and such." I smiled at him, he was just so caring. If only my council would approve of me dating him, but I knew that would never happen.

Link then said, "Oh Zelda I almost forgot something," he exited my room and went into his. When he came back, he had a tiny pouch. He handed it to me and I looked in it. It was all of my hair ribbons.

He shuffled around nervously and I asked, "You saved these, after all these years."

He nodded and confessed, "You were kind of my first crush…Oh goddess! You must think I am a freak now." He was blushing madly and turned away.

I grabbed his arm to turn him back to facing me. Then, I smiled and said, "No, I think it is sweet." I moved my hand down his arm and squeezed his hand. I then suddenly felt tired so I let go of his hand and went to the bathroom to change into my night clothes. By the time I returned to my room, Link was sitting in the chair and already asleep. I am amazed he can sleep so easily. He was lucky. Every time I fall asleep, I am plagued with thoughts of my parents screaming at me. I was never good enough for them. I felt like I couldn't be myself around them. I was once caught in the kitchen trying to simply bake cookies (which after much sneaking around I eventually mastered) they had a fit. It was not like I had much else to do in that lonely cage. Suddenly I was struck by an idea!

MWAHAHAHA YES ANOTHER CLIFF HANGER! But it is ok; I am going to try to get another chapter up before the day is over.


	18. Cookies and Kisses

ZELDA'S POV

I snuck out my room at about 4:00 in the morning. I braided my hair and tied it off with one of the ribbons Link had returned to me. I left a note for Link and traveled down into the kitchen. I grabbed the flour, sugar, milk, salt, and other ingredients I would need to make chocolate chip cookies. I cracked an egg on the side of the bowl and started to whip the ingredients in a bowl. I then grabbed the chocolate chips and folded them into the dough. I heard a yawn and saw one of the chefs come in. She jumped slightly, not expecting someone to be in the kitchen this early. I smiled and said, "Just ignore me, I will be out of your hair soon enough." I then dropped little balls of the dough in to the pan and waited for them to cook. When they came out, I put some of them in a plate for Link, and the rest on a cooling rack. I put the last batch in the oven and waited.

Eventually, Link did come down to the kitchen. I was wrapping up the now finished cookies in a bowl. Link asked, "What are you doing?"

"Making cookies," I replied simply while I pushed the plate I made for him to try.

He looked at it skeptically and took a bite. His eyes lit up, "Hey these are really good," he said as he stuffed another cookie in his mouth. I was really happy he enjoyed them. I then asked, "Link, after you eat, would you like to come with me so I can deliver these cookies to the orphanage?" He looked up and said, "Sure, but I was kind of hoping we could explore this area together." I nodded and said, "We can do that, I just wanted to bring these to Ms. Simmons as a thank you for yesterday." He beamed and finished his last cookie.

We decided to go on one loftwing this time and when we landed, the children crowded around Crimson. Link pet crimson and helped me down with the cookies. As I expected, Miss Simmons came to greet me. Link grabbed Emma from Miss Simmons arms so she could put away the cookies for a treat tonight. I looked at Link holding Emma, and a wave of serenity washed over me. He looked so natural with her. I smiled and said, "You know if I didn't know any better, I would have thought that Emma was your child."

He smiled and said, "Nah, I just feel a strong connection to her that's all. I noticed you seem to have become attached to her as well."

I nodded and he handed me Emma. Miss Simmons came back out and thanked me for the cookies. Part of me wanted to stay here and play with Emma, but the other part knew Link wanted to visit Skyloft City so I handed Emma to Ms. Simmons and bid her adieu.

We got onto Crimson and flew back to Skyloft City. In the city there were a few small stores and we walked throughout them exploring. None of them piqued our interest but we saw one of the stores had fishing poles so we bought 2 some bait. He then flew us near the waterfall. I had never fished before so Link had to show me how to bait the hook. He then showed me how to cast out his line, which I successfully managed to get caught on the back of my dress. He laughed and unhooked me. He then threw the line out for me. I leaned my head on his shoulder and asked, "So, what do you think about this Sariah, Malon, and Midna apologizing? Do you think they were sincere about the whole thing?" He shrugged and said, "They did look it… I don't like what they did to you, but it is up to you whether or not to trust them. Just don't be surprised if they turn out to be playing another game." I nodded and suddenly felt sad. Link must have known, because he pulled out my hair ribbon and winked at me. I laughed remembering us as children. I used to get so mad at Link. He raised the hair ribbon out of my reach and I tackled him. We rolled on the grass and landed facing each other. Our lips were only a few inches apart. Slowly our lips came closer together and we kissed. It was perfect. He then rolled on top of me and deepened the kiss. I wrapped both hands around his neck and ran my fingers through his hair. We broke apart for air and he said, "Oh, by the way, I won at the Wing Ceremony."

I smiled and replied, "Shut up and kiss me."

He laughed and said, "Yes Master." I hit him in the chest playfully. He knew he was no longer a slave. We locked lips again, and for a moment, I truly felt loved. Little did I know, there was someone watching in the bushes the whole time. I saw a flash, but I dismissed it as being my imagination. We broke apart again, but this time it wasn't for air. Link noticed my fishing pole was moving and he said, "You got something Princess," I got up excitedly and Link helped me reel the fish in. It was a 12 inch bass. I danced around in excitement and Link laughed at me. He then handed me back my hair ribbon.

I hugged him and said, "Thank you for bringing me out today. I haven't had this much fun in years."

He kissed my forehead and said, "Anything for you Zelda."

I thought to myself, 'I am not sure what love feels like, but I am pretty sure this is it.'


	19. Groose's Bride to Be

**I have been thinking about writing something set in Louisiana (where I grew up). Oddly enough, I am drawing a complete blank on what I want to do with it… If I do figure out what I want to do with it, would a southern version of the Legend of Zelda be something you're interested in reading. Please either PM me if you would be interested.**

ZELDA'S POV

Today was my last day in Skyloft. It was the day of Groose's ball. Now normally I wouldn't care about a ball; but, this time I didn't have my council breathing down my back and Link would be there. I truly hoped that he would ask me to dance. Link was still asleep, so I tip toed my way into the bathroom and got ready for breakfast. By time I exited the bathroom fully dressed and hair groomed, Link was already dressed and waiting for me. 'How does he do that?' I wondered silently. We walked down to breakfast and sat at our new table. Malon, Midna, and Sariah soon joined us. They were all chatting breathlessly about the ball. I ignored most of the conversation, because I was still daydreaming about that amazing kiss Link and I shared yesterday.

"Zelda."

"Zelda!"

"ZELDA!"

I jumped and saw Sariah trying to get my attention. "I'm sorry Sariah. What were you saying?" I replied feeling slightly embarrassed.

She sighed and asked, "We were wondering if we could all get ready together for the ball? I know you don't exactly trust us after last time, but I am hoping we could try to earn your trust back. We all put up money to get you a dress, since Ruto sabotaged all of yours."

I looked at her skeptically and said "I don't know, I think I have had enough eating disorder scares and corsets to last me a while now thank you."

"Oh please Zelda! I promise we didn't do anything to the dress, nor are we planning on doing anything mean to you," Midna plead!

Malon then said, "We are through with Ruto. We want a true friendship please let us prove it."

I rolled my head and said, "Fine, but I am not wearing another stupid corset."

The whole table said, "Agreed."

We went back to the room like last time and Malon brought in a dress that she had picked out. It was a solid red spaghetti strap dress. Like the other dress it sparkled in the sun. I wondered whether it would sparkle in the moon light too. I put it on and she said, "Goodness Zelda, we haven't even done your hair or makeup and you already look like a million rupees." I blushed and looked into the mirror. It was uncomfortable to look at myself, but it oddly seemed like it was getting easier. I wonder what could be making this change in me.

I sighed and turned back to the girls, "Thank you, the dress is beautiful."

Sariah grabbed the curling iron and said, "That is because you are beautiful Zellie, that dress didn't look nearly that magical on the hanger." She started curling my now shoulder length hair into tiny ringlets. I hated having my hair curled. It just takes so long, especially since I have such thick hair. Thankfully, since my hair was shorter, it shaved off at least an hour's worth of time off of waiting. It was starting to get dark when we finished my makeup and the girls left the room. I put on my tiara and looked into the mirror again. I smiled, I almost looked normal. I exited my room and went to knock on Link's door. No one answered, so I figured he would be in the ball room downstairs.

LINK'S POV

It took me less than an hour to get ready so I basically sat around the room most of the day. Groose knocked a few hours before the ball and asked for help with hanging the decorations. I nodded and followed him to the ballroom. About 15 minutes after we finished, people started descend down the stairs to make their way into the ballroom. That was when I saw her. Her gorgeous blue eyes clashed magnificently with her skin tight red dress. Her curls seemed to frame her perfect face and her smile seemed to light up the room. She seemed to float down the stairs. Her eyes met mine and I was rendered speechless.

She walked up to me and I asked, "Would you like to dance?" She nodded and took my hand. I wrapped my hand around her waist and she held on to my shoulder. A few minutes into dancing, she rested her head on my chest. Her hair smelled like strawberries. I savored that moment because I knew we would not be able to be this close when we got back to Hyrule. But, as always, all good things must come to an end.

Ganondorf walked over and asked, "Mind if I cut in?" I held her closer as if to say no when Zelda tugged on my shirt lightly. I looked down at her and she said, "Link, you know the council will skin me alive if I don't dance with him." I loosened my grip on her and reluctantly bowed to let her go.

After she danced with Ganondorf, she walked back over to me. We danced the rest of the night away. Groose cut in once, but it was more a formality. He was already completely head over heels for Ruto…The poor soul. I swear he must be on a mission from the goddess to deal with that woman. Before the ball was over, Groose stopped the music and proclaimed, "I would like to thank everyone for coming out to visit Skyloft. I am also pleased to announce, that I have found the perfect woman to rule this country by my side. Princess Ruto." Everyone clapped politely. He then continued, "We shall have the wedding in three months. I hope to see you all in attendance, good night everyone." Once again they clapped and we all exited the ball room.

When Zelda got to her room she flopped on her bed tiredly, not even bothering to change into her nightwear. Pretty soon afterwards, she was fast asleep. I picked up her legs (which were hanging off the bed from when she flopped) and pulled the covers up to her neck.


	20. Punishment and Revelations

**I have been thinking about writing something set in Louisiana (where I grew up). Oddly enough, I am drawing a complete blank on what I want to do with it… If I do figure out what I want to do with it, would a southern version of the Legend of Zelda be something you're interested in reading. Please either PM me if you would be interested.**

ZELDA'S POV

The next day, Link and I packed our belongings, and carried them to our loftwings. Link helped me up on my loft wing and got on his own. On the flight back, I realized something, Link knew pretty much everything about me, but I knew next to nothing about him.

I looked over to him and asked, "Link, forgive me if I seem forward, but I am curious about your past."

He looked nervous and asked, "What would you like to know?"

I bit my lip and said, "Well, I have many questions. But I would rather you just tell me whatever you feel comfortable with me knowing. I wouldn't want you to feel uncomfortable."

He shook his head and said, "I am never uncomfortable around you. Well, I grew up with my parents till I was 4. My father was an expert swordsman who taught me everything I know. My mother was a house wife. One day, some monsters called wolfos attacked our town and my father was killed trying to protect my mother and me. She hid me behind some bushes and said, "Don't come out till everything is silent. When I did come out, I found my mother dead near my father. My Uncle then took me in and trained me some more with the sword. I also learned how to herd goats on his farm."

I interrupted Link and said, "Link, if this is too painful, you don't have to tell me."

He shook his head and said, "Nonsense, I care about you and feel like I need to talk to someone about it."

I nodded and he continued, "After he died. I wondered around the town aimlessly. Eventually, some Castle Town soldiers found me and brought me to the orphanage. That was when I met Miss Simmons. I didn't like her, because she was always punishing me… Not that I didn't deserve it"

I laughed when he said that and said, "go on."

He smiled and said, "Eventually we met and I had a bit of a crush on you. I still remember that look on your face when I dipped your hair in that purple paint." I shot him a glare, and he continued, "I lived there until I was 14 when Ganondorf surrounded me with some of his guards. I picked an apple from one of his orchards. The guards had their arrows drawn and he gave me one of two options: 'trained' to work as a servant for his future bride. 2. He would kill me. I had no way to defend myself so he carried me away and his sick training began."

I was close to tears. He endured Ganondorf's torture for at least 4 years until he finally came to the castle. I whispered, "I am sorry."

He reached out for my hand across the loftwing and said, "Don't be. Meeting you has brought me more joy than I ever could have hoped for."

After hearing that, I couldn't take it anymore. I broke down. He pulled me off my loft wing and onto his home and held me close. I would never understand why this man seemed to care for me so much, but I wouldn't trade his love for anything in the world.

We soon landed, and I was greeted by a very disgruntled council, "Ugh why do they have to ruin everything," I whispered to Link. He didn't respond, but helped me down.

Harold was obviously the ringleader in this little circus, so he started screaming at me right away, "Princess! The things that you did on that trip were utterly irresponsible! Do you realize the image you gave to the royal family?"

I responded "What royal family? As far as I know, they are all dead." I was furious. I wasn't even sure what they were yelling at me for.

Harold yelled back, "Don't get smart with me Princess, you know we can terminate your hierarchy at any time. Do you even know why I am yelling at you?"

I shook my head no and he handed me two newspapers. The first one I already knew about, it was the one where I was laying in the tub. The second one, I gasped. I handed it to Link who looked equally shocked. It was a picture of us lying in the grass. I was lying on top of him, kissing him happily. I looked up to Harold and asked, "What do I do now?"

He called for the guards, and they grabbed onto Link and me. Harold said, "Now, you are both going to be punished. Link, you are sentenced to 20 lashes, consider yourself lucky because this is a crime punishable by death. Princess Zelda, you are sentenced to watch the lashing and will be put under a month's house arrest." They covered Link's mouth with a cloth.

"No, this was my fault. Let me take all of it." I screamed.

Suddenly everything became quiet. I looked at the council and they were mumbling to themselves and Harold asked, "You would take the punishment of a peasant boy?!"

I nodded and said "Yes all of it. Just please don't punish him for my crime."

Harold suddenly got angrier and said, "He must have bewitched the princess. Double the lashes."

"No!" I screamed as I fought the guards that held me. They eventually pinned me down to the ground and Harold instructed them to tie me up.

Once I was bound and gagged, they strung Link's arms up onto a pole and began the first of forty lashes. To my surprise he didn't scream. He must have been trained not to by Ganondorf, either that or he was suppressing them for my sake. About half way through Harold got angry and hollered, "PUT YOUR BACK INTO IT!"

The next lash made Link gasp in pain and he couldn't take it anymore. Each lash from that point on he screamed in pain. He hung his head over, but I could still see the tears falling from his eyes. Finally the lashes ended and they cut his ropes off the pole. He slumped over and appeared to be barely breathing. They released me and I ran to his side. I felt nauseated…there was just sooooooo much blood. I tried to lift him up, but I was just not strong enough. I turned to the guards and the council and said, "If any one of you has even an ounce of compassion in your hearts, will one of you please help me carry Link to his room." Link was conscious but barely. Harold walked over and carried Link on his back. I was about to protest but he started to walk towards Link's room. The council followed close by.

I wondered why the hell Harold would carry Link to his room after what he did, but my question was soon answered. He threw Link on his back onto the hard would floor. Link screamed and passed out. It was more than his poor body could handle. I couldn't take it anymore, I grabbed my knife and stabbed it into Harold's heart. He looked at me shocked and fell. I then held my dagger in the air to show my council and said, "If any of you dare show Link or myself this much disrespect again, I can assure you, that you will suffer the same fate. Throw his body in the trash!" I demanded. I slammed the door and walked over to Link, and held some smelling salt under his nose. He jumped slightly and groaned in pain. I felt horrible for waking him, but I didn't know if he hit his head when Harold threw him to the ground. I managed to help him roll on his side which seemed to help relieve some of his pain instantly.

I was crying hysterically and he weakly reached up and wiped my tears away. He then whispered, "I'd do it again in a heartbeat." I kissed his cheek and grabbed some bandages. I also grabbed a red potion that I mixed with a sleeping potion. Once he was asleep I cleaned and dressed his wounds. Since I couldn't lift him onto the bed, I slept on the floor with him. There was nothing, that would ever cause me to leave Link now. I Love him. I can honestly say I love him.


	21. Pauper Charming

Ok guys this is a short chapter, but it is a good one. Please leave comments. More chapters coming soon!

ZELDA'S POV

It was midafternoon later that day when I woke up on the floor after hearing a groan. I turned over to face link and saw him grimacing in pain. I got up and got him another red potion. This time though, he said he didn't want a sleeping potion mixed in. I helped him into a semi sitting position and poured the liquid down his throat.

He started to chuckle and I asked, "What is so funny?"

He whispered, "Your as pretty as ever."

I snickered and said, "Well, if I do say so you are still a handsome devil!"

Impa floated in and looked down at us. She turned to Link and said, "Wow, what happened to you? You look like SHIT?" We both burst out laughing. She then said, "Well Zelda, I have some good news for you."

"And what would that be," I asked

Impa said, "The good news is that since you stabbed Harold, your full punishment was never revealed."

Link looked back to me and asked, "You stabbed Harold?"

I looked to my lap and shame and said, "A little bit…"

He then asked, "How can you stab someone a little bit?"

I smirked and said, "Small knife."

Impa snorted and continued, "Your punishment was also going to contain you having 3 suitors days a month and forcing you to make a public statement about the scandal. But now the council is too afraid to approach you about it."

"Thank goddess," I heard Link mumble.

I honestly could have cared less about my punishment. I just felt terrible because of what Link had endured. I rested my head on his shoulder, but sat up instantly when I heard him yelp. I apologized and he said that it was fine.

Impa then said, "I have some more good news for you, Prince James is coming to visit." I jumped up and said, "Really, oh it has been so long since I have seen him! How is he doing?"

Impa replied, "Why don't you ask him yourself?"

The door opened and he stepped in. I got up and jumped into a hug. He twirled me around and Link said, "Ummmm, not to break a moment, but would someone like to explain what is going on here?"

James put me down and I sat next to Link and said, "James is my childhood best friend. Don't worry Link. He is gay, so there is no competition." Once I said that Link seemed to relax and I kissed his cheek.

James said, "So, you are the Pauper Charming that has captured ole' Zellie's heart."

Link nodded and extended his hand out weakly for James to shake.

James then looked him up and down. Link had his shirt off since I had to bandage him earlier. He then winked at Link and said, "Oooooh Zellie, I can see why you picked him. He is a good little piece of eye candy." I laughed and Link gave me a look that clearly stated, 'the horror'

James then left to visit some friends in town. He invited me, but there was no way I was going to leave Link alone in his condition. Impa had left the room much earlier. I sat by Link's side and we started making small talk. It was nice to feel completely comfortable in a person's presence.

"So Link, what did you think of James?" I asked.

He shrugged his shoulders and said, "At first I thought he was going to be a rival for your heart, so I wasn't too crazy about him. Then when I realized he was checking me out, I am even less crazy about him."

I giggled and said, "There is no one who could possibly compete with you over my heart."

He squeezed my hand and I asked, "Link, how could you possibly still care for someone like me after I have brought you so much hardship? I thought you would hate me after the lashing."

He looked me straight in the eye and said, "I could never hate you Zelda. Remember that."

I then leaned my forehead against him and whispered, "I love you."

He smiled and said, "I love you too." He then pulled me into the most passionate kiss I have ever known.


	22. My Cursed Heart

The next day when I went to check up on Link, I found him standing on the balcony overlooking the town. I walked up behind him and held his hand. He turned to me and said, "Good morning, princess."

I squeezed his hand and replied, "Good Morning. How are you feeling?"

He grimaced at my questioned but answered, "I am still in a colossal amount of pain, but it feels better when I am with you."

I raised my eyebrow and said, "Liar."

He chuckled and asked, "What are you going to do today Princess?"

I sighed and said, "The council has a lot of paperwork I need to fill out from when we were visiting Skyloft. Since you seem to be able to move around a bit, would you like to join me in the library?"

He smiled and said, "Nothing would bring me more pleasure."

I smirked and asked, "Not even this?" I stood on my tiptoes and kissed him softly on the lips.

I heard a growl come up his throat and he pulled me close. He then said, "Yeah that will do it." I placed my hands on his chest and as we kissed, I felt his heart quicken. When we broke for air, I blushed and grabbed his hand to lead him to the library.

When we reached the library I looked at my desk and groaned. The desk had 6 stacks of papers, standing at least 3 feet high. I asked Link to lay down on the couch since he was still in poor health. He complied and eventually fell asleep. As I was reading the documents, I heard the door creak. I looked to the door and saw Ganondorf walk in. I stood up and faced him. He said, "Good Morning Princess."

I stepped back and whispered, "What do you want?" I didn't want to wake Link, he would never be able to fight in his current condition.

Ganondorf snickered and said, "Your heart." I backed away from him until my back hit the wall behind me. Before I could blink an eye, he reached his hand forward and ripped my heart out of my chest. He held it before my eyes. It glowed bright gold and I could literally heart my heart beat out my chest. He said, "You know princess, with this I could command you to do anything, and you would have no choice but to do as I command." I couldn't move. He then continued, "But alas, I rather win your heart than command it. I want you to meant the words I do when we stand upon the alter. So, I need your heart for a different reason."

He peered into the beating heart and said, "So, your worst fears are mirrors, me, your parents, and losing Link. I can work with those." I wish I could have said something, but without my heart I couldn't speak back to my master unless he willed it. He then whispered into my heart, "I curse you with fear, which will follow you wherever you go. It will fill your dreams and your golden heart will blacken with hate. It will appear when you are most vulnerable, and slowly kill you from the inside out." He then put my heart back in place and I crumpled to the floor. The sound of my body hitting the floor woke Link from his slumber. He cried as he scrambled to his feet. I was gasping for air and tears were running down my face. Ganondorf Laughed and said, "Don't kill yourself fearing for her, she will soon be doing that to herself." He exited the Library and Link walked to my side. He kneeled down before me and wiped away the tears from my eyes. I buried my face into his chest and he held onto my shaking form. We stayed there for several minutes and eventually my shaking subsided. When he felt it was appropriate he asked, "What happened?"

"I trembled and said, "He took my heart out my chest, and then he cursed it."

He looked up at me seriously and asked, "What kind of curse?"

I shook my head and answered, "I don't know exactly, his words were very confusing. It had something to do with fear."

He pulled me closer and whispered, "Courage is not the absence of fear, but the ability to overcome it."

I could feel he was becoming weaker so I wiped away my tears and claimed I was tired. I honestly wasn't in the slightest. But, I knew if I went to my chambers; he would retire to his own. As usual, he escorted me to my chamber and then headed off to his own.

I shut the door and sat on my bed. My head pounded when I heard someone clear their throat, I looked up to see my mother and father hovering before me. I wanted to scream, but I couldn't. I wanted to faint, but I couldn't. They were there before me and I couldn't deny it. My father grinned maliciously and said, "My regarded daughter, you have grown 'pretty' ugly over the years."

I flinched and thought to myself, 'oh no please, not this again.' My mother then chipped in, "Yes, it amazes me that you love nature, despite what it has done to you."

I struggled to breathe; I was terrified they would beat me like they did as a child. No one, else knew about this. I hid it because I was terribly ashamed. Then I thought to myself, 'this must be part of the curse.' I remembered what Link had told me; I stood up and said, "I am a strong, intelligent, and beautiful woman. I will not have the likes of you telling me otherwise." I felt my body tremble violently as I had said that.

My parent's looked at each other and laughed. My mother smiled and said, "Oh Zelda, if ignorance is bliss, then you must be the happiest woman in Hyrule."

I turned to her angrily and retorted, "Unlike you, I have found someone who loves me for being myself. He is constantly complementing me. He truly believes I am an attractive and bright woman."

My father then asked, "Are you always this stupid, or is today a special occasion? He doesn't think any of that. He is just using you, to get to your throne. Honestly Zelda, keep talking. Maybe someday you will say something intelligent."

"SILENCE!" I screamed. I then demanded, "GET OUT OF HERE, OR I WILL BRING A IN A PREIST TO GET RID OF YOU!"

They cackled and replied, "As you wish Zelda, but we will be back. As long as your heart harbors that curse, we will always be lurking around."


	23. Sleeping Beauty

**LONGEST CHAPTER EVER!** (exciting I know)

**Dear readers, I would like to once again, **_**thank you for the reviews. Especially WolfenAmphithere**__** who has left 4 reviews and **__**Sorafi Lynn Mioto**__** who has left 2 woot woot! Just so my other readers know, the more reviews I get, the faster I write. Hint hint.**__** I also wanted to let yall know, that I will be proofreading the story soon. Sorry, but when I write, if I**_** stop to proofread, I will forget what I was writing about. So, generally I write the story and then proofread when the story is complete.**

I heard a knock on the door, and my parents disappeared. "Come in I yelled!" Prince James walked in and said, "Hey Zel, you have a letter from the orphanage." He walked it over to me, and I opened it. It read,

_**Dearest Zelda,**_

_**The children were completely delighted with the new books you sent the Orphanage. One little girl named Abby, was particularly fascinated by the story "Sleeping Beauty." I was wondering, if you would do me a favor. Tomorrow is Abby's 6**__**th**__** birthday and I was wondering if you would dress up like Princess Aurora and read to the children on that day. I just know it would make that a birthday she would never forget.**_

_**Sincerely, Miss Simmons**_

I closed the letter and walked to the library Prince James followed me. I searched the shelves for the book sleeping beauty. I opened the book and flipped through the pages, until I came across a picture of Princess Aurora dancing with her Love Prince Phillip. It wouldn't be incredibly difficult to duplicate since we both had blonde hair and a similar build. She was wearing a pink dress with an odd neck line. I ripped the page out of the book (I know I am a horrible person), and handed the paper to Prince James. I asked him, "James, would you mind delivering this to the seamstress for me. I would like her to have a replica done of this dress by tomorrow morning. Inform her that she will be well compensated for her trouble."

James nodded and exited the room. I sat back on the couch and decided to take a nap.

JAME'S POV…

I looked at the picture and had an amazing idea. If she was going to dress up as Princess Aurora, why not ask the seamstress to also make a costume for Link as Prince Philip. I hurried to town on horseback to meet the seamstress. I told the seamstress what the Princess wanted ordered and then continued to tell her my plan. She shook her head and said, I will only do what I know I am going to be paid for. I then pulled out a large sack of rupees and her attitude instantly changed. I laughed when she said, "Where are those fabric scissors at?" I knew both challenging costumes were going to be taken care of so I left to return to the castle.

ZELDA'S POV

_**I was in a cold room with no windows. There was a Large bed which I was seated on. I looked around and saw that the walls were all mirrors. In the mirror, I saw me wearing a white wedding gown, which was covered in blood. I screamed and my groom walked into the door. I turned around to see Lord Ganondorf grinning madly. He then handed me a large white box. He said, "For you my dear, on our wedding night." When I opened the box, I screamed and dropped it on the floor. Link's head came rolling out of it. Ganondorf laughed and said, "I told you, you would mean it when you said 'I do.' You killed him yourself when he tried to stop the wedding." I shook my head and screamed "No NO LINK!"**_

"No NO Link!" I screamed and was aggressively shaken awake. I opened my eyes and saw Link standing over me. I pushed him away, and ran to the nearest waste bin to upchuck. He pulled my hair back while I was busy heaving. Once I managed to gain control of myself, he sat next to me on the couch and asked, "Do you want to talk about it?" I shook my head no. It was far too disturbing to discuss. I laid my head in his lap and was comforted just by the knowledge he was by my side.

James came prancing in the door at that moment looking absolutely giddy. I sat up and asked, "What's got you so chipper? Did fishnets come back into style?"

He laughed wholeheartedly and said, "Better than that Princess Aurora, I found you a Prince Philip." He then gave Link and I each a white box.

Link looked into his box and found a pair of black pants, a grey tunic, a red cape, and a red hat. Mine contained a pink dress, as I expected. I looked at Link and asked, "Oh Miss Simmons asked you to dress up for it too."

He looked at me confused and asked, "Dress up for what?"

Prince James then jumped in, "Well, technically Miss Simmons didn't ask, I just thought it would be fun for the kids. Besides, I know you are dying to be prince for a day Link."

Link rolled his eyes and said, "Fine I will wear it, but what exactly are we wearing it for?"

I got comfortable on him again and said, "Miss Simmons wants me to dress up as Princess Aurora from the fairy tale sleeping beauty for a little girl named Abby's birthday. We are going to be reading to them."

He laughed and said, "Oh well then, that won't be a problem. After all even you said the prince charming look actually works for me." I chuckled and snuggled closer to him.

Prince James soon left us alone again, and with Link by my side I felt safe enough to fall asleep.

The next day, Link and I got dressed for story time at the orphanage. Link's wounds though still deep, were looking much better. When we were finally dressed, we met in the stable. We both got a pretty good laugh at the other's expense. Link saddled Epona and bowed. He then said, "Your royal highness, your chariot awaits." I snickered and he helped me onto the horse.

It was a very short ride to the orphanage; Miss Simmons had quite the sense of humor when we arrived. She had the hay "stage," set up in the front today and all the children were waiting excitedly for our arrival. When they saw us dressed up like the fairy tale characters, they were literally squealing with joy. One little girl walked up to me with a bouquet of dandelions and held it out to me. She looked at me shyly and said, "These are for you Princess Aurora." I bend down to retrieve it and said, "Thank you dear, they are beautiful. What is your name?" She beamed and said, "My name is Abby." I gasped and said, "Ah so you're the birthday girl! Happy Birthday Abby." I pulled a small box out of my pocket. She shrieked, "Oh my goodness, is this for me!" I smiled and said, "Yes this is from Lin…Prince Philip and I." I didn't want to ruin it. She looked into the box and it was a small heart shaped locket I had engraved with her name. She hugged me and then ran to Link to give him a hug. He tensed at first because she startled him; but, when he saw her holding the locket, he laughed and hugged her back.

Finally it was time for the show to start. All the kids sat Indian style in front of the hay stack stage where Link and I stood. I started off with how every good story starts… "Once upon a time, in a faraway land lived a beautiful princess…" I read for a good while until baby Emma started to cry. I then asked Link to continue and I went inside to pick her up out of her crib. I saw my mother and father leaning over the crib. I screamed, "Get away from her."

My mother laughed and said, "Touchy, you know you can never have a child with your curse. I don't know why you insist on torturing yourself."

I snapped back at her and said, "The curse only stated I would never bear a child of my own. The witch said nothing about adopting one."

My mother showed me an evil grin and threatened, "Fine, learn the hard way."

Once I left the room, Emma's crying had subsided, I walked outside with Emma in my arms. I laughed when I saw Link on stage pretending to slay the dragon. The children were completely immersed in the story. Link smiled at me and said, "That is when I threw my sword of truth into the dragon's heart and rushed to the aide of my beloved. I found her fast asleep in the highest room of the tallest tower. We shared true love's kiss," He kissed me with Emma giggling in my arms and we both recited, "And we lived happily ever after!" The children cheered and gathered around us.

Abby and the rest of the children were asking us many questions like,

"Did you get married?"

"Did you have kids?"

"What is your last name now?"

Link and I were thoroughly embarrassed but to my surprise Link answered that Last question, "Gale, my last name is Gale."

Thankfully, Miss Simmons saved us by asking, "Who wants cake?" The kids instantly forgot we existed and ran over to get cake. I felt my arms starting to get sore, and Link picked up Emma from my arms. I don't know why, but I still get choked up when I see Link holding Emma…It just seems perfect. Suddenly I felt sad knowing I could never give him a family of his own even if we could be wed. I walked over to Epona and pet her face tenderly. I didn't want to burden Link with more sadness, besides the kids were more than enough to keep him busy. Abby walked up to me and asked, "Princess Aurora, why do you look so sad?"

I gave her a weak smile and said, "Sometimes being a Princess isn't all it is cracked up to be."

She gave me a look like are you freaking kidding me? And asked, "What do you mean, you have a handsome prince, pretty dresses, and lots of money; what more could you possibly want?"

I replied, "Yes, but you can't buy happiness, or freedom" 'from the curses.' The last part I thought to myself. Emma, not knowing what else to say, hugged me and ran off to play with her friends.

Eventually, it was time to go and Link and I went home. We were both dead tired so we flopped on the couch together in the Library. We didn't even bother changing out of our costumes. He wrapped his arm around my shoulders and I leaned my head against his chest. I breathed in and noticed he smelled like the forest after a hard rain. I snuggled deeper into him and he combed his hand through my hair. Everything was peaceful with the exception that I had a tight knot in the pit of my stomach. I sensed something in the air…danger.

Without warning, Ganondorf walked into the door and asked, "So princess, have you finally come to your senses and decided to marry me?" I shook my head no and he continues, "Pity, then I guess your parents will have to go through with their threat."

Link looked at me and said, "I thought you parents were dead?"

I bit my lip and said, "They are…sort of"

Before Link could say anything else, Prince James ran into the room and screamed, "Zelda, hurry the orphanage is on fire!"

Link and I ran out the room and we whistled for our loft wings. They were faster transportation than our horses would be. Prince James hopped on my loft wing behind me and we flew full speed ahead towards the orphanage. When we got there Miss Simmons and the children were outside crying. I started to count the children when Link noticed, "Where's Emma?" he asked Miss Simmons.

Miss Simmons gasped in horror and screamed, "GODDESS SHE'S STILL INSIDE!"

I didn't need to hear her answer, her gasp told me everything. I ran to the burning building with Link following close behind. I reached for the door knob but instantly pulled my hand back. The door knob burned my hand. I then wrapped my sleeve around my hand and turned the knob. I was met by an enormous cloud of smoke and heat. Link pulled me back and shielded me with his cape. When the smoke died down some we both rushed in the door and looked around. I could tell Link wanted me out of there, but he knew as well I did, that wasn't about to happen. Link checked downstairs for any other kids (We didn't exactly have time to finish counting the children.) while I checked upstairs. I looked all around and finally found the cradle. I picked her up and saw that she wasn't breathing. I had a handkerchief in my pocket which I used to shield her from any more smoke inhalation. I started to run down the stairs when one of the steps gave out. I let out a scream and Link rushed over. He helped me pull my foot from the step and we both ran out the building. Miss Simmons grabbed the infant and began performing baby CPR. Link ran down the road to fetch a doctor. Thankfully Miss Simmons managed to revive Emma before the doctor arrived. She was still in rough shape from smoke inhalation, but the doctor said that she would be better if properly cared for. I nodded and turned to Miss Simmons and asked, "Miss Simmons, what happened?" The orphanage suddenly collapsed completely.

She broke down crying and said, "That drunken man, the one who claims the children killed his wife, showed up and threw his bottle at the building. I was about to shoo him off, but he threw a match on the house. Immediately, I screamed for the children to leave the building, and they did. I tackled that horrid man to the ground but he overpowered me and ran off. Then you three showed up and yall know what happened from that point on…Oh no, where are these poor kids going to live now?"

I was furious that pig got away, but right now these children need our help. I picked up Emma and said, "You may all come live in the castle, until we can rebuild your home."

She started to cry and said, "Oh thank you princess, I don't know how I could ever repay you."

I smiled and said, "You already have. You introduced me to Link all those years ago as children." Link smiled and we lead the children back to the castle. The council was not happy to hear that the children were going to be staying in the castle for the time being. One of the women named Annabelle asked, "What are we going to do when suitors' day comes around? There will be no room for them to stay if we have all these bastards here at the palace." I whirled around to face her and ferociously screamed, "Watch your language and don't you dare insult these children they have done nothing to you. And, if you have a problem with the suitors not being able to stay in their rooms, why don't I just give them your rooms." With that I turned around and brought the children and Miss Simmons, to their respected room. We ended up having about three children in each room, but they all chose their roommates and seemed relatively content. Before I said goodnight to Abby, she walked up to Link and I and said, "Thank you for saving my baby sister, Emma." I looked down to the babe in my arms and suddenly realized the resemblance. I stood there in shock, but Link saved me and said, "It was an honor for us to do so." She then hugged us and went to bed. I still felt terrible that they had lost everything; especially since they had so little in the first place. I will send a few maids out to get some toys for them in the morning.

When the last child entered into her room, I had a guard bring up a cradle for my room. Miss Simmons was way too stressed out to have to deal with an infant too, so I decided that I would watch over her for the time being. I climbed the stairs with Link and we entered into my bedroom. Much to my surprise, the cradle was already set up. I sat her sleeping form in the crib and Link reached out for my hand. I winced in pain. He looked at my hand and saw where I had burned it on the door knob. He yelled, "Goddess Zelda, why didn't you show this to the doctor?!" Emma started crying and I looked at him annoyed.

I put Emma in my uncooked arm and said, "I forgot about it with all the chaos that was happening." He nodded and started whistling a tune. I looked at him questioningly but then noticed Emma was falling asleep. I walked over to her crib and placed her inside and soon she was fast asleep.

Link then picked me up and placed me onto the bathroom counter he said, "Stay here so I can get a few things to clean you burns." He kissed my nose and ran out the room. I felt my heart swell. Goddess I love him so much.

Much to my dismay, my mother and father appeared. "So the curse doesn't affect adopted children huh?" My father asked snidely.

I answered, "The curse had nothing to do with this. A crazy old drunkard was the cause of the fire."

He laughed and said, "Well don't worry, the curse will catch up with her soon enough."

I grimaced and said, "I don't know why you say things like that. I technically didn't even adopted her legally."

He replied, "Yes, but have you adopted her into your heart? You should know all curses are placed in the heart."

I was about to respond, when they disappeared. Link made his way into the room with a large bowl, salt, aloe vera, and gauze. He looked around and asked, "Zelda, who were you talking to?"

I reddened with embarrassment and lied, "Oh nothing, I was just talking to myself." The look he gave me told me he knew I was lying, but he didn't push me further. He filled the bowl with water from the pitcher on my vanity and stirred water in the mixture. He placed the bowl of water on the counter next to me and instructed me to put my hand into it. I did and he asked, "Are you hurt anywhere else?"

I nodded and lifted up my skirts. I pointed to the leg that had fallen through the stairs in the fire. He flinched at the sight of blood, but started to unlace my boot. As he gently pulled the boot off I clenched my teeth to avoid crying out. The boot was literally ripping my skin off. He looked at me sadly and pulled a chair into the bathroom and sat me into the chair. He then gave me a towel to bite on. He took the bowl that once contained my hand and sat it by my foot. I placed my foot into the bowl and Link held it there so I wouldn't yank it out. I was suddenly grateful for the towel. Once the stinging got less painful, Link let go of my leg and grabbed the aloe vera. He kissed the top of my hand gently and applied aloe vera to the bottom. He then wrapped it in gauze and went back to looking at my foot. He grabbed a towel out of the closet and patted my foot dry. Then he wrapped my foot, skipping the aloe vera to avoid infection."

When that was complete, he picked me up, sat me on my bed, and pulled me in his arms. He pressed his forehead against mine and whispered, "I love you." We fell asleep together that night, perfectly content in each other's arms.


	24. Numb

As always, thank you for all your kind and supportive reviews! WARNING: Character death

In a dark room Ganondorf and the deceased King and Queen stood talking. "How did you know, that we threated Zelda?" the queen asked Ganondorf. He grinned widely and said, "Oh you don't know? Since I am the one who cursed her heart, I know everything that the curse does. Which in turn makes me know everything that you two do; since, you were technically revived by the curse. I even know when she has nightmares and what they are about." The King frowned and said, "Doesn't that also mean you could control us, if you wanted." Ganondorf nodded and said, "Keep that in mind whenever I ask you to do something. Now, I have a job for you…" His words become whispers and the Former Queen nodded at his request with a huge smile. She then waited for Zelda to leave her room in order to conduct her plan.

LINK'S POV

I woke up to find a girl drenched in sweat and shivering in my arms. She was tossing and turning in her sleep. 'She must be having a nightmare again,' I thought to myself. I shook her awake and her eyes were bloodshot. She was breathing heavily and holding back tears. She pushed herself off of me and stumbled to the cradle. Emma was fast asleep. Once she realized Emma was safe, she turned back to me and I asked "What happened?"

She walked over to me and sat in front of me in the bed. She leaned her head against my knees which were hanging off the bed and said, "Link, there is something you need to know."

I answered, "Go on."

"Link, ever since I was little, I would have these prophetic nightmares that would tell me when bad things were going to happen. Unfortunately, due to this new curse I am having a lot of nightmares and I am having trouble deciphering which dreams are foretelling me something and which ones are just bad dreams, "she explained.

I thought about what she said and asked, "What did you dream?"

She then started to describe her dream, _**"I was reading in the Library, when I heard a youthful scream. I ran into my room and found the room was trashed. I then saw the cradle flipped over with Emma on the ground. Her tiny head was gushing blood. I tried to stop the bleeding and get a doctor. But, it was too late. She was already gone."**_

She started to hyperventilate and I rubbed her back gently, hoping it would calm her nerves. She did eventually calm down and I pulled her up off the ground and into my lap. She buried her face into my chest and I combed through her hair. I whispered in her ear, "Emma will be fine. It is you that I am worried about. Ever since we came home from Skyloft, you have been working yourself too hard. You seem to have buried yourself under the paperwork. You hardly eat or sleep any more, when you do sleep, you have night terrors. I wish you would give yourself a breather."

She seemed to think about what I said and agreed, "Fine, I will ask Miss Simmons to watch over Emma today and visit the book store in town. Would you like to come with me?"

I shook my head no and said regrettably, "The council asked me to inspect the castle to find ways we can improve security. However, I wouldn't want you to go into town alone, so why don't you ask Prince Philip if he would like to tag along." She nodded and went off to look for the prince. I then went to perform my security check.

ZELDA'S POV

Prince Philip and I entered into the book store and took a look around. He went off to check out the cooking section. I wandered around aimlessly looking for something to catch my eye. I picked out a few books, mainly ones I knew the kids would love until one particular book caught my eye. I picked it up and the cover read, _A Guide To Good Parenting_ by Molly Wells. I looked around to see if anyone was watching me. I slipped two purple rupees into a nearby workers pocket and said, "This should cover the books and your discretion. He put the book in his jacket and put it underneath my small pile of books and slipped them into a bag for me. I thanked him and walked over to see if Prince Philip had found anything that piqued his interest. When I saw he had nothing, we decided to return to the castle.

I had several books, so I asked Prince Philip if he would assist me in carrying them up to the Library. He sat the books on the desk for me and retreated to his room. I looked out the window and saw Link, talking to the guards; no doubt he still working on security. I sighed and began to put the books away in the library. I had a small children's section added since the orphans moved in. I smiled as I looked at the titles with a blissful remembrance of Impa reading to me as a child.

Once the children's books were put away, I grabbed my parenting book and sat on the couch to read it. I figured if I was going to be taking care of Emma for the time being, I might as well do it right. I sat there for hours, concealing the book behind another, since I was slightly embarrassed. Then, I heard a piercing young scream. I ran out the library and into my bedroom and just like in my dream it was a complete mess. I dropped my books and ran to Emma's turned over cradle. When I saw her bleeding head, I let out a deafening cry. My body shook and I yelled to the guards that barged in the door, "Get some help." They saw the child and ran to fetch a doctor. I knew she was already gone, but I wasn't going to give up.

I held her to my chest and held my hand over her head wound. She was starting to become cold. I sobbed into Emma's small deceased form, and my body shook violently. Each passing second she grew colder, until I knew she was gone forever. Finally, the doctor came into the room. He checked her pulse and shook his head. After he confirmed her death, he tried to take her away. I held on to her small body and refused to let her go. Prince Philip had passed the door and saw the scene going on he quickly scrambled away and the doctor soon followed, seeing that he wasn't going to retrieve the child any time soon. I moved into the bathroom, so I could mourn in peace.

LINK'S POV

I was busy talking with the guards when I saw Prince Philip running towards me like a mad man. I knew there was something wrong so I ran and met him half way. When he finally met me he was out of breath. He was pushing out his words breathlessly "Zelda….needs…you."

For him to be running out as wildly as he did to tell me that, I knew it was something urgent. I dismissed the guards and ran to Zelda's bedroom. The door was wide open with people surrounding it watching something. I pushed them all out of the way and entered the room. The crowd made me nervous, so I shut the door behind me. I looked around the room and it was a huge mess, there was broken glass and furniture flipped over. I noticed the cradle and checked to see if Emma was in it. I let out a breath seeing she was not in it. It was then I heard sobbing coming from the bathroom.

I knocked on the door and heard a muffled, "Go away." I turned the door knob and entered the bathroom. I saw her sitting with her back to the wall. Her knees were pulled in her chest and holding a bundled up blanket. As I got closer I gasped, in the bundle Emma was laying there bleeding from her head. Her skin looked pale and grey. I kneeled down by Zelda, I took two fingers and placed it on Emma's Brachial Artery; as I had expected, there was no heartbeat. I felt a few cold tears roll down my cheek but quickly wiped them away. I needed to be strong for Zelda.

Zelda was stricken with grief. Her body trembled as she clung to the deceased child. When I went to take the child away but she screamed, "No, you can't take her…please don't take her." I held back tears for her sake Emma needed to go to the morgue so she could be prepared for a proper burial. Just then, Miss Simmons ran in, "I only left for a few minutes," she screamed as she fell to the floor crying for Emma.

I tried a second time to retrieve Emma, but this time I took a different approach. I whispered, "Zelda, I know you loved this child, but you need to let her go. She needs to be buried, so she can finally rest in peace." Zelda nodded and handed me Emma.

When I felt her cold body, I couldn't hold the tears back anymore. Tears flowed freely from my eyes and I was gasping for air as I lamented her death. Zelda got up and sat on the bed. I handed Emma to a guard outside the door. I noticed that the people who were gathered outside the door started to disperse. Zelda held her arms out for me and I quickly sat next and pulled her into my lap. We both cried on each other's shoulder for hours. By the time we had finished, our eyes were red and burning. We were exhausted, but felt wired at the same time. When I finally managed to talk to Zelda I asked, "Zelda, How are you feeling?"

She swallowed and hoarsely said, "I feel…numb." I kissed her forehead and we sat there until we passed out in each other's arms.

MEANWHILE

Ganondorf sat in his room when the Former Queen floated into his room. He looked up at her and asked, "Is the job done?"

The Queen nodded and said a bit sadly, "Yes, the child is gone. Zelda was heartbroken…I am almost certain she will marry you, since she is desperate to break her curse."

Ganondorf looked closely at her noticing her hesitation and asked, "You aren't getting soft on me are you?

The Queen said, "Of course not. She is the reason why we were cursed, and I will never let her forget it."

She turned around and exited the room. She couldn't help the heavy sorrow that wretched her heart. She had never seen Zelda so devastated...She ALMOST regretted it.


	25. White roses

LINK'S POV

The next day I woke up and looked around the room. It was still filthy so I grudgingly pulled myself off the bed and started to pick up bits of broken glass. I tried to stay quiet, but the sound of the glass clanking roused her from her slumber. Her eyes started to tear up again, when she saw me clearing the glass by the turned over cradle, but wiped her tears away. She offered, "Here let me help." I was going to say no, but before I could she managed to cut her hand. I immediately threw out the glass I was holding and brought her to the washbasin. I pulled the glass from her hand and poured water over her hand. I then pulled a handkerchief from my pocket and wrapped it around her hand. "I was going to tell you not to touch the glass, because I have gloves to protect my hands, you don't."

She nodded, walked over to a book, and threw it into the trash. Curiosity got the best of me and I looked to see what book it was. The book title read A guide to Good Parenting. My already heavy heart seemed to become even heavier. Zelda wanted a child so bad she was willing to keep one that was not her own, only to have it taken away from her.

A FEW DAYS LATER! STILL LINK'S POV

The day of the funeral had come and I pulled on a nice black tunic. I then slipped on my jacket, with a rose for Zelda. I went to look at myself in the mirror, but remembered it was a tradition to cover all mirrors in the house (or castle in this case) when a loved one dies. Since I couldn't check my reflection, I walked to Zelda's door and knocked she didn't answer, so I opened the door. I was horrified by what I saw.

Blood was flowing down Zelda's arms as she made a deep cut into her arm with a letter opener. When she saw me she dropped the object on the ground and her legs gave out. I caught her before she hit the floor and screamed, "What the hell are you trying to do, kill yourself?"

I looked her in the eyes and saw they were bloodshot. She whispered, "I rather feel pain, than to feel nothing at all."

I was taken aback by her response, but managed to keep my composure. I then asked, "How long have you been doing this?"

She answered weakly, "Since I was in 5th grade."

I then had a flashback of Zelda's self-portrait that had Impa showed me a while back. In the picture, there was blood flowing down Zelda's arms. Why didn't I see this before?

I walked up to Zelda and threw the letter opener into the waste bin. I then used a towel against her arm to stop the bleeding. She looked into my eyes and whispered, "I'm sorry, Link."

I nodded and replied, "I forgive you, but please promise me you will never do this again."

She looked to the floor and said, "I will try."

It was now getting close to the to the time of the funeral so we went to the stables, and I pulled epona out of her box, when I noticed Zelda was also getting ready to open her horses box. I grabbed her wrist and said, "Ride with me, please?" She looked ill, and I didn't want her to fall off her horse. She agreed and I helped her onto Epona.

At the funeral, the rain mimicked what we were feeling in our hearts. Because it was December, the rain was freezing as it hit our bodies. It was a small funeral consisting of Me, Zelda, Impa, Miss Simmon's, and the children. Prince Philip was feeling sick that day. White roses covered the ceremony. Everyone was crying, although if it weren't for their red puffy eyes you wouldn't be able to tell because of the rain. Emma's sister, Abby, was hugging Zelda's leg crying into Zelda's dress. Zelda brushed her hand through Abby's hair hoping to comfort her. A tiny coffin was pulled out of a carriage and was lowered slowly into the ground. I had my arm wrapped around Zelda just in case she should fall again. Though her legs were wobbly, she managed to stay standing. It was now time for Abby to throw the first clump of dirt into the ground and the guards finished covering the coffin.

When the coffin was completely buried Zelda kneeled next to the tombstone and traced the letters. Since Abby had hate her parent's for abandoning her and Emma, Zelda asked if they could write my last name on the tombstone. Of course I agreed, part of me felt like she was my daughter. The tombstone read simply: Emma Gale, 'Until we meet again.' Miss Simmon's took Abby's hand and lead her and the other children inside out of the rain. Impa decided to go back as well, leaving only Epona, Zelda, and me at the grave site.

A few minutes passed and I suggested, "Zelda, we should go inside. You're going to get sick if we stay in this rain."

She didn't moved but asked, "How do you do it?"

"How do I do what?" I replied.

"How do you wake up every day after all you have suffered through? Your parent's died and then your uncle. You lived in an orphanage. Then you were made a slave by ganondorf. How can you manage to smile after you have gone through so much sorrow?"

I picked her up bridal style and as I walked to Epona, I answered, "When my parents had died, I was only 4 so I didn't really understand what happened. When my Uncle had died and I moved into the orphanage. I was very sad so I acted out, but there was one ray of sunshine that carried me through."

We made it to Epona and I pulled Zelda up in front of me. She looked back at me and asked, "What was it?"

"It was you," I replied, "When I met you, it was love at first sight. As you know, I stole your hair ribbons every chance I could get when we were kids. I carried them in a pouch I kept in my pocket every single day. When I was captured at 14, I had the hair ribbons in my pocket. Whenever I was in pain or upset, which was most of the time, I would look at the ribbons and think of you. I wondered what happened to you and imagined what you looked like. You are prettier that I could have ever imagined." I pulled the white rose out of my jacket and handed it to her. She smelled it and smiled.

Finally I said, "Zelda, I don't know how to get rid of the pain of losing someone you love. But, what I can tell you is that the pain will fade in time. "Zelda, I don't know how to get rid of the pain of losing someone you love. But, what I can tell you is that the pain will fade in time. Despite Emma being do young, I saw the love in Emma's eyes when you held her. She loved you unconditionally, and will be looking after you even in death. "

She nodded, but I could tell she didn't believe me so I asked, "Zelda, do you know why I always give you white roses?"

She looked at me funny but replied, "No, I just figured you liked them."

I shook my head and said, "Every rose color has a meaning, Red means passion, yellow means friendship, and pink is appreciation."

"So what does a white rose symbolize?" she asked.

I smiled and whispered into her ear. "Pure undying love."

She smiled and asked, "Is that why you requested them for Emma's funeral?"

I nodded and said, "I loved her like she was my own child. When I held her, it almost felt like we were a family."

Zelda broke down crying and I stopped Epona. "What is it," I asked, "Did I say something wrong?"

Zelda replied, "No Link, you didn't say anything wrong. It's just until you came along, I felt so lonely. All I ever really wanted was just somebody to care. When Emma died, that loneliness that was levied in my heart burst. Yet you are still here trying to pick up the pieces. Goddess Link, I love you so damn much."

My heart skipped a beat and I whispered, "I love you too Zelda."


	26. Sick

LINK'S POV

We had finally reached the castle and I pulled Zelda off Epona's back. A stable boy led her back to her box and we headed into the castle. We were drenched and shivering from the rain and some maids ran off to get us some towels. While they were gone, Zelda surprised me with a kiss on the cheek. I smiled and wrapped myself with a towel that the maid had just brought. I headed to my room to change out of my wet clothes and relax for a while. I thought that was what Zelda was going to do too, but instead she secretly went to the library, still drenched, to work on more paperwork.

GANONDORF'S POV

I watched the funeral from my window and noticed how close Link had gotten to Zelda. That boy was getting in my way and I needed to do something about it. I heard the door creak and my attention turned to the man who entered. "Ah, Prince Dark have you had the pleasure of meeting your step-brother yet?"

He shook his head and replied, "No, seeing how he is no longer my problem I choose to avoid him at all cost." Dark was a very tall man that closely resembled Link. The main difference between the two, was that Dark had black hair and red eyes. And Link had blonde hair blue eyes.

"I assume you realize why you are here?" I asked Dark.

He nodded and replied, "I owe you a favor getting my rid of my younger brother."

Ganondorf bobbed his head and said, "Now if you recall, I kidnapped your little brother right after he was born and gave him to a soldier's family. When the family died he was brought to an orphanage. I waited for him to grow to the 14th summer and then took him. Do you know why I took him?"

He answered, "You took him to train him as a slave for your future bride."

"Yes," I replied, "But that plan seems to have blown up in my face."

He looked stunned and asked, "What do you mean?"

I directed him towards the window and answered, "She has fallen in love with the little brat."

His eyebrows had officially hit the ceiling and he screamed, "Do you mean to tell me that bastard my mother conceived out of wedlock, might manage to still regain his status!"

"Yes, and if he does, how long do you think it will take for your people to question your mother's faithfulness." I replied.

I then heard him say, "The affair must remain a secret; I will not have that illegitimate half-blood taint my family's blood line. What is it that you want from me Ganondorf?"

Ganondorf smiled and said, "First thing that will need to be done is you will half to die your hair…" (DUN DUN DUN DUN!)

ZELDA'S POV

I sat down at my desk in the Library, since we were in the middle of December it was ice cold. However, I felt so numb from the funeral that I had hardly noticed. There were still several stacks of paperwork lying on my desk that needed to be tended to. I didn't want to work, but I really didn't want to think of the funeral. Emma's face which once brought me so much joy now haunts me every time I close my eyes. Deciding to distract myself, I immersed myself into the piles of paperwork.

About 2 hours later, I stood up to stretch my legs. I turned around from my desk when I heard a book fall. My mother was standing there with contemptuous eyes. She said, "I told you she would die if you took her in."

"Her death had nothing to do with me," I countered.

She scoffed and said, "Oh it has everything to do with you, you might as well have murdered her yourself."

I started to choke on my words, "I… not…a…. . Saying those words though didn't make me feel like I wasn't one. Tears filled my eyes and I turned back to my desk to hide away my heart in more work. I would just have nightmares, if I went to sleep so why bother. I chose not to eat dinner that night because it felt like there was a huge knot in my stomach. I stayed awake past breakfast early the next morning, before I finally decided to lay on the couch to rest. I felt funny, my body was shivering and dizziness was beginning to set in. I literally passed out on the couch and fell into a deep slumber.

ZELDA DREAMING

I was standing in front of Ganondorf in a wedding gown. Link was slumped over and chained to the wall behind me. A preacher stood infront of us and said, "Do you Princess Zelda, take Lord Ganondorf to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

"I do." I said. Tears of hatred were flowing down my face.

The priest then recited, "If any person can show just cause why they may not be joined together – let them speak now or forever hold their peace."

Suddenly, a wolf barged into the door growling fiercely and ganondorf pulled out my heart…"

LINK'S POV

I woke up late the next morning running through my room trying to get dressed. I knew Zelda had a meeting with her council today and I didn't want to be late. I slipped into my chainmail and threw on a shirt, shoes, and pants. Then I was out of here, I didn't even bother to grab my hat or gloves. I ran down the stairs and slid into the council's meeting room. They all turned to me irritably and I asked, "What are yall staring at?"

One of the younger council members asked, "Where is Zelda? We assumed she was with you."

I shook my head, "No, she isn't with me, I am sure she will be here soon." I said, trying to cover for her tardiness.

15 minutes later, she still had not shown and the council started to get antsy. I decided to get up and go find her, before the council started throwing a hissy fit. I checked in the gardens and training room; she wasn't there. I then knocked on her bedroom door, which was also empty.

Finally I entered into the library. She was fast asleep on the couch. However, it didn't look like a peaceful sleep. Her face was sweaty, which caused her hair to stick. She was also paler than usual. Her cheeks showed a reddish hue and her breathing wasn't smooth.

I stuck my bare hand to her forehead. As I had expected, she was burning up. I looked over to the desk and noticed several of the piles were gone. I scratched the back of my head grumpily and thought to myself, 'this job is going to be the death of her.'

I lifted up her off the couch; her body fell limply in my arms. She barely even stirred in her sleep. I sighed and asked, "Zelda, why do you work yourself so hard?" Of course, she didn't answer in her current condition. As I exited the room, I informed the guard, "let the councilors know the meeting has been canceled due to the princess being ill. It will be rescheduled as soon as she is well. Also, please send for a doctor."

The guard made his way to the meeting and I carried Zelda to her bedroom. I carefully pushed the door open with my foot and laid her on the bed. She was shivering violently, so I pulled a comforter over her trembling body. There was a face bowl on her vanity. I filled it with water and soaked a rag to cool her head.

It was then, that my eyes lit up with fear. She began to cough, and blood rolled down the side of her help. I rolled her on her side so she wouldn't choke on her own blood. I paced nervously around the room desperate for a doctor to arrive. "You're going to wear a hole in the floor, if you keep doing that Link," I heard coming from the bed. I walked up to see Zelda looking quite pale but awake.

"What were you thinking, sleeping in wet clothes?" I asked a little louder than I should.

She shrugged her shoulders and said, "I didn't feel cold."

"Didn't feel cold," I shouted exasperated, "It's the middle of December, and there is snow on the ground. What do you mean you didn't feel cold?!"

Zelda's face scrunched up and tears started to come down her face. 'Shit' I thought to myself. "Why are you yelling at me?" she asked miserably.

I hugged her and whispered, "I am sorry Zelda."

She nodded and said, "Link, I didn't feel the cold because I can't feel anything. As I said the first time you asked me, how I was feeling, I feel numb. I can't believe what I have done to that child. I was selfish."

I was about to ask her what she meant by that, until once again she started coughing. I pulled out a handkerchief for her to use. As she had last time, she coughed up blood.

Fear striking my heart again, I went to the guard outside and asked, "Where is that damn doctor?"

He looked grimly at me and said, "The doctor stated he will be here as soon as possible. He is trying to deliver a baby right now."

"Are there not anymore doctors in town?" I retorted.

He shook his head and replied, "No sir, the others are trying to help battle a plague in Clock town."

The word plague sent a shiver down my spine. I silently prayed that Zelda had not caught the plague.

I went back into the room and told Zelda about the doctor situation. She rolled her eyes and said, "You worry too much Link."

I then remembered what I had wanted to ask her, "Zelda, what did you mean when you said, you couldn't believe what you have done to Emma? Surely you don't blame yourself for her untimely demise."

She nodded and whispered, "If I hadn't been so selfish, Emma would still be alive. I should have known that the curse would come after Emma, despite the fact she was not my own."

I firmly replied, "Zelda, Emma's death was NOT your fault. That curse only causes you to be barren. It does not prevent you from loving another child. I know you loved that child and only wanted the best for her. Why else would you have been reading a parenting book?"

She smirked slightly and said, "You saw that huh?"

I nodded and chuckled slightly since she looked like a child with her hand caught in a cookie jar.

A knock sounded on the door and the doctor came in.

"Hello there, I am Doctor Robins. Let's have a look at what's going on, shall we." I exited the room in order to give her privacy. There was also something else on my mind though. I ran downstairs and too the stables so I could saddle up my horse. I heard a rumor around the castle, that there was a witch doctor in town. I decided to go see her to find out if there were any ways to break Zelda's curses.


	27. Dark, Link?

Ganondorf looked Dark up and down and said, "Perfect, you look just like your brother. Our darling little princess won't stand a chance. Now time to change Link." He then looked Prince Dark in the eye seriously and said, "You must not kill him, I want him to have a front row seat to the princess's demise. Then when she has turned her triforce over to me, you can do whatever you want with him." The young Prince bowed and said, "Yes master."

LINK'S POV

I was racing towards the area where the witch doctor was rumored to be, when a gust of black magic threw me off my horse and knocked me out. When I woke up, night had already fallen and everything looked so much bigger. I stood up and something felt wrong. Suddenly I realized, I had paws and a tail. I ran around in a circle (making me look like I was chasing my tail) and I came to realize, I was now a wolf. I ran as fast as my four short legs could carry me to the Witch Doctor's tent. I ran in and instead of talking, nothing but barks came out.

"Woof woof woof woof woof…"

The old woman said, "Calm down Link, you're going to give yourself a heart attack."

I looked at her shocked she knew who I was. Would Zelda know?

Like she could read my mind she answered, "No dearie, Zelda will not know who you are; now I assume you are here to try to break Zelda's curses."

I barked in response.

She replied, "Fantastic, Now if you want to fix the first curse that left her barren, I am going to need you to do me a favor."

I growled I didn't have time for this shit.

"Oh please Link, this is to help the princess. Now bring her this." She replied as she pulled out a necklace with a tiny fairy trapped inside and an envelope.

I grabbed it with my teeth gently and she said, "Try not to get caught by the guards or get too much slobber on it."

I growled in irritation but left to deliver this to Zelda. On the way, I plucked a white rose from the rose bush to make Zelda feel better.

ZELDA'S POV

I sat in my bed waiting for Link to return. When he finally did walk into the room, something was different, I sensed darkness about him. (It's dark, in case you haven't figured it out.)

He walked in carrying a red rose and he went to kiss me. I turned my face and lied, "I don't want you to get sick Link." Truth be told, something just didn't feel right.

He frowned and said, "This is for you my dear," handing me the red rose.

I blinked a few times and answered, "um…thank you." 'What happened to the whole speech about white roses I thought to myself,' but brushed it off. I suddenly felt really thirsty and asked, "Link, would you mind getting me a glass of water?" He smiled and said of course not dearest as he tried to give me a second kiss; once again I turned my head. He walked out the door and headed for the kitchen.

A few minutes later, a dog walked into the room carrying an envelope, necklace, and a white rose. He jumped on my bed and dropped it on my lap. He then sat next to me watching me as I opened the envelope. I read out loud,

"**Dearest Princess, **

**Things are not always as they appear. Please remember to keep this necklace on you at all times. It will glow when the time is right. **

**Sincerely, a friend **

**P.S. This wolf is your protector, treat him well. "**

I wrinkled my brows in confusion and put the necklace on. What on earth could they mean by 'when the time is right?'

I pet the wolf behind his ears and asked, "What should I name you?" She then saw him pick up the white rose and she smiled, "I think I will call you Hero. Because my hero, Link, always brought me white roses; except for today, oddly enough."

The wolf looked confused as I took his rose and placed it in a vase besides to my bed that had already contained the red rose Link had brought me earlier.

Link (Dark) walked into the room carrying a glass of water and said, "Here you go princess."

Hero barked at Link as if warning him to stay away. I pet Hero and said, "Its ok, that's just Link. He will not hurt me."

Hero looked like he didn't hear me or didn't care so I yelled, "Hero Sit!"

REAL LINK'S POV

"Hero Sit!" She yelled. I sat and thought to myself, 'Oh goddess this is so degrading.' I didn't want her to throw me out and have no protection from this imposter.

The fake Link looked at me and asked, "Oh good, you have a new pet Zelda?" He looked close to laughter and I knew he had something to do with this.

She smiled and said, "Yes Link, I have decided to name him Hero."

"How fitting?" he replied. He then asked, "What did the doctor say?"

I rolled my eyes and said, "I have pneumonia, most likely from sleeping those wet clothes."

Link then replied a little too quickly, "Well, I am going to let you rest Zelda. Goodnight."

I looked at him skeptically and answered, "Good Night."

He stepped out the door and I thought to myself, 'What is with him, first the red rose and now he isn't going to stay with me. He always stays with me when I am upset or ill.'

I laid my head back on the pillow and snuggled up to my new pet. I could have sworn I saw Hero blush; but wolves can't blush, can they? Soon enough, I fell asleep. Hero stayed by my bedside all night watching over me.

Ganondorf's POV

I stood in my room waiting. There was a knock on my door and I hollered "Enter."

Dark stepped into the room and said, "I turned Link into a wolf and Zelda believes that I am Link. Things are going according to plan sire."

I smiled a thoughtful smile and replied, "Good Dark, your hard work will be rewarded."

Dark bowed and said, "Thank you sir, but revenge on my brother is pay enough."

"Very well then, you may leave now." I answered.

"Yes sir," he replied as he bowed out the room.

Things were going to plan. Soon enough I would have everything I have ever wanted.


	28. Your taking the wrong dog away!

Great news guys, I am coming close to the ending. Only a few more chapters to go, I would like to thank everyone who has been reviewing and I hope you will check out my other Zelink stories. Especially, my latest one called A Country Romance. Feel free to PM me! P.S. I will be proofreading this story before I start back on my others, simply because I have run out of room in my document manager.

REAL LINK'S POV

Zelda stayed in bed for three days, not by choice of course, every time she went to leave the room I grabbed the back of her dress and drug her back to bed. The Link imposter, didn't show up once since and Zelda had become bored and depressed. She wondered if I (Link not hero) was mad at her. And to make matters worse, not a single servant or guard had bothered to check up on the princess. If it wasn't for me bringing apples from the kitchen for her, she would have starved. (It's a good thing she didn't see me bring them in because I had to carry them in my mouth and I know she wouldn't eat them if she saw that.)

When I finally deemed her well enough to leave her room she went straight to the library to work on paperwork. I sat by her feet and jumped when I saw someone float into the room. It wasn't Impa. She looked very similar to Zelda, but older.

"Good morning dear child." The older woman said mockingly.

Zelda stood up and asked, "What do you want mother?" Hearing this is Zelda's mother I growled at her. I wouldn't allow her to hurt Zelda any more than she already had.

Zelda's mother said, "Interesting, it seems your mutt can see me."

Zelda replied, "I have read that, animals have always been able to sense paranormal beings."

The woman crossed her arms and asked, "So when are you going to finally give into the council and marry Ganondorf?"

"Never," Zelda answered, "I do not love him."

The Queen laughed and said, "Stupid child, do you honestly think that the council would approve of you to marry that peasant boy."

Zelda looked at the ground and tears began to form in her eyes. I lunged at her mother, but went straight through her.

Her mother cackled and said, "Senseless animal, you don't think you can actually protect her do you. You are nothing."

"STOP IT," Zelda screamed, "Get out of this room and for goddess sake get out of my life."

The queen floated out the room chuckling at Zelda's reaction.

Zelda crumpled to the floor crying. I nudged my nose on her hand trying desperately to cheer her up. Eventually she got up and I saw something I had never seen before. It was almost as if there was a fire in her eyes. She walked out the library and headed into the throne room.

Once she got to the doors of the throne room, she swung the doors open and said, "Gentlemen of the council, I would like to call for a mandatory meeting in 10 minutes in our normal room."

10 minutes later the members of the council flooded into the meeting room and sat down. Zelda stood up and said, "I would like to bring up an issue that has been bothering me for years. I would like to abolish the law that states that a princess must marry one of noble birth. I feel that this law is greatly outdated and that if a queen truly connects with her spouse, it would be much easier for her to run the country. Besides, would you ask your own daughters to do what you are asking me to do?"

The council looked at each other and one stood up and replied, "That law has been intact since Zelda the first took throne 500 years ago. I see no reason to change it now."

Zelda was about to retort when another councilor member stood up and said, "I would and I have sent my daughter off to marry someone she didn't love. She wanted to marry a pauper for goddess sake. He could barely provide for herself much less a family, so I married her off to a duke."

The council started to all bicker back and forth and Zelda was losing this fight miserably. Finally she had enough and she slammed her hand on the table to get everyone's attention. "Fine, I understand your views and will take them into consideration. You are dismissed."

Zelda wrapped her arms around herself and breathed deeply. I wasn't sure if it was from stress or if the pneumonia was still causing her pain. I tugged at her dress, and lead her to bed. Just as she was about to sit, my doppelganger walked in the room.

He announced, "Zelda dear, I have wonderful news. Groose and his new bride Ruto are going to be visiting the castle."

She raised an eyebrow and asked, "How is that good news?"

If I would have been in my human form I would have been laughing at the look on his face. He really screwed up.

He muttered, "Ummm I thought you two could try to catch up."

She shot him a glare and said, "Link, I am not sure what has gotten into you, but you should know better than anyone that I would rather, 'catch up' with one of my assassinators than to deal with that spoiled selfish sea cow. Now if you will excuse me, I am not feeling well and I would like to go back to bed."

He shuffled and said, "alright dear." He then nervously walked over to her and leaned down to kiss her. I was about to pounce when she held her hand up and said, "Thank you, but I would rather not."

He growled and forced her into a kiss. She pushed him away and he smacked her across the face. A deep betrayal flashed before her eyes. I grabbed his leg and tried to rip it off with my teeth.

He screamed in pain and the guards came in. They tried to take me away when Zelda said, "Stop." They immediately dropped me and she called me to her bed. I hopped on and she finished, "You were taking the wrong dog away, get Link out of my sight." They then started to carry away the Link impersonator.

"What shall we do with him?" asked the guard.

Zelda replied, "Just keep him out of my room for now. I am a bit pissed at the moment."

The guards eyes got big at her unladylike response. He then mocked the impersonator, "Somebody's in trouble."

When Zelda finally went to sleep, I snuck out the room and headed back to the witch doctors tent.

When I opened the flap, I was greeted with the scent of incense. "Ahhh your back I see Link!" The witch doctor proclaimed.

I nodded and she said, "Good. I am pleased to tell you that the first curse is lifted."

I looked up at her clearly asking, "WHAT?!"

She laughed, "You broke that curse a while back infact. Link, do you remember when you and Zelda went fishing in Skyloft?" I nodded and she continued, "That was where you shared your first kiss on the lips am I correct?" Once again, I nodded. "The curse had a loop hole, that it could be broken by true loves first kiss. Since the previous queen was stuck in an arranged marriage, she never truly was in love with her husband although she did care for him."

After I got over the shock, I let out a sigh of relief. 'What about the second curse?' I thought

She looked grim and replied, "When Ganondorf cursed her heart, he left no loopholes the only thing that can break that curse is a crimson blade and a broken heart. I am afraid I can't tell you any more than that."

I nodded and left the tent with my tail between my legs. I wondered what she meant by it could be cured by a crimson blade and a broken heart. Gah none of this made any sense.


	29. TEMPORARY HIATUS

Dear followers, I am going through a really hard time right now. My father just got through getting stents put into his heart which had a bunch of complications, and now there is evidence that he may have cancer again. (We won't know for sure until he has a colonoscopy.) When I write when I am stressed, everything comes out of poor quality. (If you want evidence look at my last few chapters.) So, I am going to take a break for a while until I can sort things out. If you add the stories you enjoy to either your follow or favorite list, I will update you as soon as I am ready to start writing again. I am sorry for the inconvenience and I hope you understand, but I PROMISE that I will return to writing as soon as I am mentally able to.


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